All the Colors of my Heart
by Lo21
Summary: ON HOLD/INDEFINITE. Please IM if you need more info. On a long red-eye flight to Italy, Bella meets Edward. Their mutual attraction leads to losing inhibitions and a sexy plane encounter. Bella has at least 4 weeks to see if lust can ever lead to love. Sometimes, you have to trust your heart. AH.M.
1. All the Colors Of My Heart

**Title:** All the Colors of My Heart

**Rating & Any Needed Warning**: M to NC-17 for language and LEMONS.

**Pairing:** Bella & Edward AH

**Summary:** After having a realistic erotic dream involving a mysterious man literally right before her one month trip to Italy, Bella meets Edward by chance encounter on a nine hr red-eye flight from Seattle. When things get hot & heavy in the plane, Bella questions if the feelings will translate to the real world. With an intriguing offer on the table from businessman Edward to show her around Italy, Bella wonders what the future has in store for her, for four weeks...and beyond. She's counting on her heart to guide her. **  
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_**Disclaimer: **Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight. I own the words that are placed in this particular order._

******This chapter was the _WINNER_**_** of the Host's choice Award for the Love is in the Air O/S Contest! ******  
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**Chapter 1: All the Colors of My Heart**

* * *

**Bella**

_Where the fuck is my other shoe? _

I was late.

I took an afternoon nap before I had to get to the airport for my evening red-eye flight. It was only supposed to be a quick thirty-minute power nap, but I slept for one full hour. This nap resulted in an erotic dream that was an amazing, sexy, and perfectly detailed dream featuring a man I desperately wished to discover in life. We had sex on the deck of a modern-looking houseboat then continued moving into all of the glorious rooms to break in each one with hot, sweaty, passionate love making. It was as if we were marking our territory with our bodies, using each other to say, _this is forever and you are all mine._

I could feel the sun's warmth on my body and see the crystal clear blue water in which the boat was sitting. The calm ripple of the waves glistened in the bright sunlight, shining patterned light onto the deck of the boat and onto the windows. We were there for our honeymoon and with the emotions I was feeling, it felt incredibly realistic. There was loving and meaningful sex between us and I felt love and euphoria. I felt a connection to Mr. Dream Guy that I longed to have in the real world.

The problem was that even with all the incredible details, I couldn't describe what the man looked like. I knew he had amazingly big hands that did astounding things to me, not to mention that he was hitting all the pleasure spots with his quite substantial dick. I was incredibly attracted to him, like a moth to a light, but it was a vacant feeling because there was no face or true person to match the pleasure. It was divine and orgasmic, and unfortunately just a vibrant dream.

_Damn, add this one to the fantasy list. It was beyond extraordinarily hot._

I hadn't had sex in over a year, and my mind and body were calling out for it, even in my dreams. _I wonder if they have houseboats in Italy?_ When I was looking through all the websites and literature about the sightseeing in Italy, it must have been a detail my subconscious had picked up. Too bad I was late or I would have googled it.

It was only when my dog licked my toes that I fully realized everything had been a dream. Glancing at the clock, I also realized my alarm had failed to wake me . I thought dream guy might have had a foot fetish… and I actually liked it. My giggle woke me and made me realize that Dream Guy was only a part of my very horny and creative imagination and wildest dreams. There was a sad undertone at this realization though, because that meant that I didn't know anyone like him in the real world.

_Fuck._

I had just gotten out of the shower and I needed to be at the airport in thirty minutes. I had been so turned on by the dream that I had to take care of business before leaving, and I got a little carried away while in the water. _Thank you, removable shower heads._ My long, brown hair was still wet, having just towel dried it. _Shit._ I looked into the mirror and applied a little foundation, blush on my cheeks, and added a bit of mascara, keeping it simple in just about five minutes.

I was feeling sexy, so I put on my _Victoria's Secret_ see-through black, lacy bra and matching panty set. Sexy undergarments are always a guaranteed confidence builder. Even if no one saw them, I knew they were there. I ran to my closet in just my lingerie as time ticked away at a ridiculously fast pace. My ass was up in the air while I frantically searched the bottom of my too-packed closet. All my suitcases were luckily packed yesterday with the exception of what I was supposed to be wearing to the airport. All I needed was my other damned shoe and I'd be on my way to this once-in-a-lifetime trip. I tossed aside shoes left and right.

_How many fucking pairs of black heels do I have?_

"Oh! There you are, you sneaky fucker!" The glossy black-colored high heel was found and two made a pair. I was wearing a short blue shirt-dress with a black ribbon bow over the waist and _finally_ my sky-high black heels. Those damned heels were coming off as soon as I got on the plane, though. "Beauty is pain," as the saying goes. I could never walk into an airport sloppy, even though I'd love to just get on in some yoga pants and an over-sized shirt—especially on this trip. You never know who you might bump into. On the last trip I made to New York, I bumped into my ninth grade ex-boyfriend and his new… boyfriend. Awkward, but at least I looked nicely put together.

So, the new rule for a traveling single girl like me was: dress like you'll run into your ex or your next. It changed my entire traveling experience.

I'd been waiting for summer to arrive so I could visit Jasper and Alice in Italy, where they've lived for a year already. They were on orders from the United States Army for a three year PCS and were based out of Aviano Air Base. Alice had begged me to come and visit them, and I couldn't miss the opportunity. It was just too good to pass up, and I really missed Alice and Jasper too. Besides, when would I have another chance to visit another country without having to pay for a hotel?

From all the pictures I'd seen on Facebook, Alice and Jasper Alice and Jasper were renting the most charming little two-bedroom apartment. I was so excited to visit and see it come to life in person.

* * *

By the time I made it to the airport, first-class seating had already boarded the plane. I sat down waiting and frowning as I saw I had been placed in the last group to be called for seating. _I'll be waiting for a while_. My hands ran nervously through my wavy, air-dried hair; My leg was bouncing in anticipation of what was to come. I'd never been on a flight that had been this long before, and I'd be traveling alone. I was a little worried that I'd get cabin fever, but hopefully I'd just sleep the entire time.

The flight would be nine hours and fifty minutes long, and take me from Seattle to Amsterdam. I had never been able to sleep on a plane with a stranger next to me, no matter how tired I was, but hoped that with the length of time it would take to reach our destination, I'd be able to get some sleep. Once I arrived at my destination, I would then board another plane from Amsterdam to Venice for another one-hour and fifty-minute flight. Alice would be picking me up in Venice where we'd travel by car to her city.

When it was finally my turn to board, I got up with my rolling carry-on luggage in one hand and my Kindle and sweater in the other. I viewed the layout of the plane noticing it had two seats on either side of the plane, and four seats in the middle. I walked in looking for my seat, 21J on the right side of the plane, towards the back and behind the wing.

A young-looking man was already in his assigned aisle seat next to mine with his nose buried in a hardcover book. With my hands full, I stood there awkwardly waiting for him to feel my presence so I could put my things down on my seat. I was too shy to speak to him and disturb him from his reading.

He didn't notice me.

I started looking for an empty overhead bin, since I was standing there looking like an idiot anyway. I'd been at a complete stop trying to decide what to do with my carry-on and had caused a mini backup of people trying to file in behind me. I cleared my throat to get his attention to point out the fact that I needed to get to my seat, when the man finally broke his trance out of his book. He looked up at me with gorgeous jade-green eyes. I took in the man's face, _his incredible face_, a strong, defined jaw line, and sensual plump lips. All of a sudden I couldn't remember what I was doing there and I just stared at him with amorously inviting glances. My tongue licked my lips subconsciously, and I didn't even realize I had done it until I felt the wetness lingering on my apparently hungry, deserted lips.

_I want his lips all over mine._

"Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there. Did you need help with your bag?" The man asked me politely.

_Huh._

"Huh?" I managed to say out loud.

He looked at me with a curious expression on his face.

_Think through the question, then answer._ _Speak, Bella._

"Would you mind setting these down on my seat? And, if you wouldn't mind, would you also help lift my bag for me?"

He nodded and I started passing my sweater and Kindle toward him and reached into my bag to pull out my blanket. There was no way in hell I was bringing out the dorky looking travel pillow with _that_ man next to me. I would have brought it out had my airplane neighbor been another girl or someone older.

_A creaky neck it shall be._

I couldn't help but notice that the man was probably around my age, and he was either separated from his family or traveling alone.

_Have I hit the airplane passenger lotto with this guy sitting next to me on this flight? _

He set my things down on my seat, then stood up. He brushed past me, grabbing my bag, and I felt goose bumps form on my arm. _Shit, is he doing that to me or am I just cold?_ He started searching the overhead bins and finding one, lifted my bag inside. I watched how his long, toned body moved and I caught a sneak peek of his abs as he lifted the bag above his head. He returned with a smile and I smiled back, making my way to my seat. The seats actually had leg room and as I settled in, I crossed my toned legs, showing off one of my best assets, and the super high heels I was sporting.

_I know what men think of heels._

I lamely thanked him for helping me.

_It wouldn't be proper to thank him with a passionate kiss would it? Damn. Didn't think so. _

I knew it was going to be a long trip so I started thinking of how to get started with conversation, but he spoke first.

"Hi. Is your final stop Amsterdam? And are you going for business or pleasure? I'm Edward, by the way." He took my hand and I shook it, his big hand engulfed my own little one_. _

_Oh. Big hands_.

"Hi, Edward. I'm going for pleasure, but I'm headed to Venice, Italy. I'm visiting my best friend and her husband who are stationed just outside of the city. I'll be there for one month, until July." I smiled then continued, "This will be my first time in Italy and Europe in general. I'm really excited."

_I'm going for pleasure. Oh God, let it be pleasure. Please let it be pleasure._

Our hands were still connected as I said my entire little speech. It wasn't quite a handshake; our hands were just kind of sitting there. I wondered if that was my or his doing. His eyes were a wonderland, like a forest of mossy trees and I could get lost in them. I wanted to continue speaking so I had a reason to stare into them and not freakishly stare for no reason.

_Oh…where was I? _I snapped out of the hypnosis.

"My name is Bella, nice to meet you. So, what's your story? Where are you headed and what for?" I managed to utter out loud.

_Hands released. Connection lost. Bummer. _

"I'm also on my way to Venice, but I'll be in Amsterdam for a day, meeting with a business partner, and I'll fly out that afternoon or evening. My family owns a couple of properties in Venice and I'm also taking care of some financial business matters for our company. We operate out of Seattle but we have ties in Europe. Once that's out of the way, I'll be there in Italy for the rest of the summer keeping up with the business operations and also maintaining the properties for my family." He talked with his hands and a light in his eyes.

"Wow. That is amazing. So, you work for a company that sends you off to beautiful places? How awesome! It must be nice!" I exclaimed with a possibly jealous smile.

"Yeah, I'm definitely lucky. My parents were smart with their business ventures, and with my business degree, they were able to put me in charge of the International Operations, which so far are concentrated in Europe," He stated in a serious, professional tone.

"Oh, I didn't realize that when you said your company… I mean I thought that you meant the company you worked for. If your family owns a company, shouldn't you be in first-class and not in economy with the rest of us lowly people?" I somehow managed to say out loud in broken thoughts and sentences.

_Word vomit._

"It's not so bad over here." He chuckled.

My face felt hot as I blushed profusely. I realized as soon as I said the words that I sounded incredibly idiotic.

"Besides, it was a last-minute trip. No more seats left in first-class. I guess I'll just have to endure it." He chuckled again and I noticed the laugh lines around his eyes as his smile reached them. If I wasn't before, I was officially charmed by Edward.

_He would rock my socks, if I was wearing any._

Believe it or not I was turned on by his laugh, his sexy laugh. _Shit. I'm in trouble_. I laughed back. So, to recap, he was hot, had a sense of humor and seemed to work for a successful company.

_Three points for Edward._

I wanted to know more about this ridiculously handsome man next to me, so I started thinking of conversation we could have. I wondered if I would be bothering him. This was going to be a long flight.

I decided to take a chance anyway. Talking with him just seemed so effortless; I was not being fake or overly flirty or shy.

"You seemed to be really into your book earlier. What are you reading? If you don't mind me asking," I said with a grin.

He smiled with an unfair weakening-of-my-knees type of smile as his eyes lit up.

"One of my favorites. It's called, _Ticket to Ride _by Dennis Potter. I haven't read this book in a while, but I decided to tackle it again, since it's going to be a long trip to Amsterdam."

I smiled back; I could tell he had liked my question, and was clearly passionate about the subject of his book and reading. I also smiled because I was rereading one of my favorite books too. I had never heard of his book before, so I was just about to ask him what it was about when he kept the conversation alive by asking me another question.

"You have one of those electronic book readers. Are they any good?"

"Oh yeah... I love it. I've got a pretty good book collection in this thing. My goal is to reread my favorite book, _East of Eden_ on the way over. That is, as much as I can before I fall asleep."

I smiled when he looked at me with a puzzled look or what appeared to be concentration on his face.

"I don't know how I feel about those things. I'm a want-to-physically-touch-something type of guy."

_Gulp. What were we talking about again? Oh right… physically holding _books_._

"Ah, well, it works for me; I'm a want-every-new-type-of-gadget type of girl. I actually prefer older and classic literature. Second place on my favorites has got to be the novel, _On the Road_, oh, and _Wuthering Heights_."

"I've read all of those. They are great but I figured you to be more of a 'mainstream book' kind of woman."

What the hell does that even mean? How does a mainstream book reader look? I didn't get it. I didn't have a chance to ask. A flight attendant came up to us and looked for seat-belts, breaking my thoughts.

I'd been enjoying getting to know him so far; at least I knew he enjoyed reading. The flight attendants prepared everything for takeoff and we got settled as they explained the safety precautions, the movies that would be played, and the refreshments offered. I kept sneaking glances at him, just wanting to keep his image etched into my brain. Why do beautiful people have that kind of power? It was as if I was under some kind of man-spell. The plane got really quiet as the attendants explained the details of the flight. No one was really speaking around us and we followed the lead of the rest of the passengers by being attentive listeners.

I turned toward the window as we took off. I always loved seeing the way it looked on the way up. We ascended into the sky, and watched as we flew into the clouds and saw how everything became smaller outside. The sun was setting, creating a beautiful pink and orange skyline that we were now flying in the midst of. I saw through the reflection of the window that Edward took a good long glance at my legs before looking out of the window.

"Beautiful," we both said at the same time then turned to each other and laughed. I had said it with double meaning. The sky looked beautiful, yes, and so did his reflection in the window. I pretended his words also had double meaning, because it just made things more interesting.

_Score one for Bella? _

After that last word and laugh, it got quiet between us again. We both put our attention back to our books and got lost in the words and the characters' worlds. I felt a little nervous as I was reading because he was so utterly good looking and distracting to be in such tight quarters with me. I attempted to read, but I couldn't move passed the same damned paragraph. I read and re-read it for about thirty stupid minutes. I got frustrated and decided to get under my blanket and try to sleep. I wasn't sixteen anymore, I shouldn't be nervous in the presence of a good-looking guy; I needed to act my age. I unbuckled my seat-belt and uncrossed my legs. I see and feel Edward shift himself as I bent down to put my Kindle away and pick up the blanket that I had placed under the seat. I kicked off my heels, trying to get myself comfortable.

"Mmmm." A small noise escaped from Edward, followed immediately by a clearing cough. I froze mid-bend as I heard it and slowly brought my eyes back up to meet his. My hands gripped the blanket closely to my chest.

His eyes darted quickly away then he asked to anywhere other than me, "Are you cold?"

_What the hell. Did I imagine it or is he trying to cover up a moan?_

"I can't really concentrate on my book so I'm gonna take a nap," I said honestly.

"Yeah, me either. I always bring a book with me, but the only time I am really into one is before takeoff and waiting to board."

I placed the blanket over my legs as I leaned the seat back. He unbuckled his seat-belt and did the same with his own seat.

"So, Edward, you live and work in Seattle?" I asked, trying to get back into a flow of conversation.

"Yeah, I've lived there my whole life, with the exception of college when I got my business degree from Boston University."

"I hope you don't mind my saying this, but you look pretty young to have completed your degree and be in charge of international operations for a company."

He chuckled and I got a glorious glance of perfect teeth.

"I'm twenty-six; how old are you? Are you still in school?"

"No, I'm done with my undergraduate education. I'm twenty-three. I'm a third-grade teacher and I work at a private elementary school. I do plan on going back for a master's degree, but for now I'm content with my job and career opportunities."

"Really? A teacher? My daughter goes to a private elementary school. She's four years old. She's in pre-k."

I attempted to conceal my disappointment that he probably wasn't single with an immediate question.

"Which school does she attend?"

"It's called Bertschi School."

_He's married and his daughter goes to the place where I work. Why are the good ones always taken? There goes that fantasy._

_Why have I never seen him there before?_ I sure as hell would never forgotten his godly face_. _

"Oh wow. I literally just got hired there at the beginning of the school year. It is a beautiful school," I stated, going back into teacher Bella mode.

"What a small world. Yeah, her mother and I had been waiting until she was eligible to be put into pre-k, and we just got in this year. Do you have kids?"

"Oh... No, not yet. I'd love to have kids, but first I have to find a man."

_That sounded so incredibly wrong on multiple levels._

I shook my head, getting flustered. "I mean… see the thing is… what I meant to say is, I'm single and I don't want to have kids until I'm married."

He looked amused at my complete lack of brain-to-mouth filter.

"Got it. You'll love it. It's fun being a dad, but I'm not married to her mother. Emma was unplanned, but of course, we have no regrets. I dated her mother in high school. It didn't work out when I left for college. When I got back to Seattle, we rekindled our relationship. She got pregnant, and even though we tried to make it work for our daughter, we just couldn't. We were different people. We soon found we weren't as compatible as we thought we once were." His face got red all of a sudden. "Oh gosh, I'm telling you too much of my life story. I'm keeping you from your nap."

"No, of course not! Finding out about a person is much better than sleeping. I _want_ to know your story."

My smile seemed to relax him.

"Cool. I'd like to know more about you too. Why are you traveling alone if it's for pleasure?"

_There's that word again, _pleasure_._

"I couldn't pass up an opportunity to visit my best friend and her husband in Italy for the first and perhaps only time in my life without having to worry about also paying for hotel costs."

"Nice… you know, I'm very familiar with Venice and Italy as a whole. I could show you some of the highlights."

"That's a very intriguing offer, Edward."

"Awesome. I would love to show you around..." He paused then asked, "So, did you go to high school in Seattle?"

"No, I lived in Washington but in a very small town called Forks."

"Oh, I know of it. It's not that small. How do you like Seattle compared to Forks?"

"It's great. I lived in Phoenix when I was younger, but I didn't get to experience all the big-city life like I can now. It's been fun. I've explored a lot of what the city can offer since graduating from high school, and there is always something to do." I said, giving my honest opinion of my new hometown.

"Yep. I grew up in Seattle and definitely consider it my hometown. Even though we have properties in places like New York and California and Italy, it will always be my answer to the question of where I'm from. It's just a unique city and it's home."

I nodded my head in agreement. Now that I knew he lived there, Seattle just became my favorite place, too. There was some silence between us and I heard people chatting nearby. Several overhead lights went off around us. I played with the corner of my blanket, looking for something to do.

"This is going to seem very forward, and I hope you are not uncomfortable with what I'm about to say..." He said with a low tone. His head was turned in my direction, but he didn't look me in the eyes.

My heart sank and I felt nervous as hell. I gulped and nodded for him to continue.

"I think you are a gorgeous woman. You are interesting and you have fantastic taste in books. I'd like to know if maybe you'd like to exchange numbers so we can talk more, you know… outside of our airplane encounter."

My eyes got big, not expecting any of what he had just said, and I was stunned into silence. I looked into Edward's so-beautiful-it-hurts face and saw him start to second guess my silence. He looked down at his hands.

"Thank you for the compliment. I would love to exchange numbers," I said simply, with a grin on my face that made my reply sound strong and confident.

Even though I sounded the part, I was anything but confident at that moment. My heart was doing somersaults in my body and I was pretty sure my skin might have looked as pale as a ghost. He looked up with a smile that made me melt—again. If I was in Vegas, the red light on the slot machine would be flashing as I saw the number of credits I'd won multiply as others stood around gawking at me in envy. Edward just said I was beautiful and interesting. Wow. What a way to start off my trip. _What should I say back? You too! You are my fuck-hot dream guy. You wanna get hitched and have our honeymoon on your houseboat?_

He pulled out his phone and we exchanged numbers, programming them into our phones. I felt like I'd won a major prize and it was only a phone number.

I finally spit out, "I'm not gonna lie… I thought you were married as soon as you said you had a daughter… and I was… disappointed. Not about your daughter, just the fact that you were married. Even after I found out that you weren't together, I would have assumed you'd be in some sort of relationship. I mean just look at you." I motioned with my hand over him.

I'd embarrassed myself again. I wondered how many different shades of red my skin had turned since meeting this man. _Way to play it cool, Bella._

He smirked back at me and I liked it. I liked it a lot. _Cocky bastard. _He remained quiet to allow me to continue.

I recovered my train of thought before continuing, "But if you hadn't asked for my number before we went our separate ways, I would have asked you myself. I would have waited until we were leaving so if I was rejected, I could play it off…"

_No, not really. I would have watched him leave and then regretted not saying anything. _

"Cool. Well, I'm glad that we have settled that," he said with a sexy-ass smile.

"Settled what?"

"That we both find each other attractive, because I kind of want to do something."

"Oh yeah?" I said as I arched an eyebrow, a shy smile automatically formed on my lips.

He took my hand and brought it up to his lips and placed a friendly kiss on the knuckles of my hand. He released it and I felt like was under water, not at all on the surface of my actual life. It it also made every fiber of my being want, or even need, this man .

"It has been a pleasure to meet you, Bella."

"Uh-huh, same here," is all I managed to utter.

It had been a friendly kiss, nothing even passionate or sexual about it. If I were more confident and there wasn't a plane full of people nearby, I'd grab his face and force my lips to his. If he could do all of that with a kiss on my knuckles, what would he do with a kiss to my lips? What would a grab to my thigh or waist do? Would I get a screaming orgasm to a touch of something other than my hand? _Well, fuck me._ I was intrigued and entranced by everything that I knew of him so far.

We eased our way into small talk,discussing our pets and the weather and families. Eventually, more lights around us dimmed as people got tired. My own eyes were losing the battle of staying open and fighting the drowsiness, and no matter how much I would have loved to just stay up and talk to this gorgeous man until we arrived, I lost. With my blanket draped over my legs, and heavy eyes, I felt the fuzzy want of sleep. The last thing I remembered before letting myself completely fall asleep was Edward and images of a houseboat.

* * *

A creak in my neck woke me up in the silent darkness. The blanket was now pulled up to my neck. I didn't remember bringing it up.

_Oh shit. It was all a dream. _

But, it was not.

Edward's eyes were closed and a slight snore came from his mouth. Even in sleep and in darkness, he was the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen. It must have been late, probably several hours since I had drifted off because I didn't hear anyone talking and the movie was no longer playing. As I looked over at my row, I saw no one was awake. The creak in my neck was painful and moving made me flinch. This was the result of sleeping in a cramped plane seat. My head had been turned to the left for who knows how many hours. I liked that my body subconsciously had me leaning toward Edward, even when I was out cold. I pulled myself forward, rubbing my neck. I needed to get up and stretch. Edward's long legs were stretched out. He must have been really uncomfortable in his seat, but he was actually sleeping soundly. Apparently, he hadn't pack a blanket or requested one, poor guy. I wondered if I could make my way out without disturbing him, but it looked a bit impossible. I sat there planning how to get around him, but couldn't find a way unless I practically straddled him.

I finally decided to just go for it, lightly dropping the blanket from my body and scanning the rest of the plane. I looked forward and back and it appeared everyone in my sight was asleep. I moved myself gently, starting to stand.

"Hi." A sleepy Edward greeted me.

"Hi. I'm sorry I woke you. I just need to get up to stretch," I whispered, while pointing to the aisle.

He moved his legs so I could squeeze through and I headed to the back of the plane barefoot. I moved my head in a circular motion, my hands rubbing my neck and shoulders; I walked slowly and stretched my body. I went into the bathroom, not bothering to lock it; I just wanted to check my reflection to make sure I didn't look too terrible and used the extra time to just stand without being in someone's personal space. When I finally headed out of the bathroom, I saw Edward standing outside the door. He didn't say anything, but he wore a shy smile on his face as he backed me up into the restroom. I matched his smile with my own. The door closed and he locked it in one swift movement.

His eyes looked sleepy but intense as he slowly leaned into me. A hand was draped around my waist in the tight quarters; it sat there teasingly as his eyes darted from where his hand was placed and looking into my eyes. The goose bumps from earlier reappeared and I felt them travel the length of my body like a charge of electricity. He held steady there, like he was trying to gain confidence to do more.

I decided to help him with his decision. My arm went up to reach the back of his head and I grabbed a hold of his glorious, messy, bronze-colored hair. I made the first move, pulling his head closer to mine as I pulled on his bottom lip slowly with my lips. He let me lead with the tempo. His mouth opened and our tongues matched each other's intensity as they tangled together, slowly dancing. We played in each other's mouths, exploring, delighting in each other's senses. I smelled the strawberry scent of my shampoo mix with Edward's cologne or masculine soap scent. It was, for lack of a better word, heaven. He grabbed me and lifted me onto the sink as my legs went immediately around him to help keep me steady. There was barely room enough for one person. We let out throaty but stifled moans in each other's mouths. I grabbed his shirt, letting my hands find home with one his chest and the other on his muscular back. I lightly allowed my fingernails to scratch and pull on his back. He grabbed my breasts and I felt my nipples perk up, hardening at the touch. He pulled back the top of my dress and licked my right breast in circles before taking the nipple in his mouth and sucking it. He moved on by licking between my breasts. I grabbed his back and licked his neck before lightly sucking it, my hands getting tangled in his hair.

"Let me make you feel good," I said softly.

But he ignored my request. He moved on to the left breast, once again playing with the other in one hand and licking and sucking my left nipple. All I felt was pleasure and want. His hardness pressed against me taunting me from his jeans. We continued touching and kissing, feeling each other's bodies, but there were no actual clothes removed. No matter the intensity of my feelings I was having, I didn't want to join the mile-high club in a disgusting cramped bathroom.

"Let's go back to our seats. I don't want to do this here. I'll take care of it for you there," I whispered into his ear, then nibbled to show I still wanted him and I wasn't blowing him off.

We got ourselves back together, our clothes wrinkled and mangled. My leg was shaking as he lowered me and I kissed him urgently again, telling him to wait a few seconds.

I headed back to my seat, my lips swollen from the kisses. I felt my lips with my hand and smiled; it was so intense and sexy and just plain right. My head was in a cloud of ecstasy. He came back and sat down. I give him a flirty smile and grabbed his hands, pulling the blanket over us.

I whispered softly into his ear. "Close your eyes, I'm going to make you cum." I pulled the zipper of his jeans and he did the rest.

He shuffled under the cover of the blanket and pulled his jeans and boxers partially down to allow me to work. His eyes darted back to mine and I leaned over to him and said, "Close your eyes. Trust me." He did as I said with a smile.

I ran my hands over his thighs and felt the hardness and length of his probably painfully hard cock. I heard a hiss escape from him as my heart beat wildly in my chest. The size and girth surprised me. I figured he'd be packing, but I had been underestimating. He was much better than average. I was an explorer, finding treasure as I familiarized myself with him. I teased him with my hands, sweeping over his cock, stroking him gently. It would be the main event, but I didn't want the rest of him to be neglected. I ran my nails along his testicles and gently felt and tapped them. My middle finger and forefinger went around the top of his scrotum tugging gently away from his body. He whispered my name and I knew he wanted it badly as his breath hitched. My heard raced as I played around alternating between hard and soft grasping, getting turned on by the soft moans and panting from Edward.

My hands moved to his hardness and I started with a slow and light touch, with one going the full length of his cock, I bit my lip. It thrilled me that we were surrounded by sleeping people and had to be quiet.

"Fuck." I moaned softly, putting a hand quickly through my hair.

I wanted to please him. I brought both hands back onto him and with a firm grip around his cock , I alternated between rolling it in between my palms and stroking it from the base to the tip. His eyes remained closed as I felt him trying to contain the moans that were now building up. I followed the lead of his hitching breath and his soft controlled moans to help me find what he liked.

I built up the pressure with each approving moan as I moved closer to him and whispered into his ear while moving my hands in a rhythm, "Do you wanna cum for me, Edward?"

That set him off and I could tell he was going to find his release. I disappeared in between his legs under the blanket to catch what would spill. My mouth went around his cock and, feeling his seed spread, I sucked him clean. I felt him wiggle with relief and ecstasy. He swept my hair back and I heard a mumbled, "fuck," from him.

_Yeah, I swallowed. And... It was the first time I had ever done so. _

"Shit, that was fucking hot. Now it's your turn, Bella."

_Oh. Okay. I get a turn. Yes!  
_

Edward whispered into my ear and gently bit my earlobe.

"Your turn to close your eyes, baby."

He placed his lips against mine, kissing me firmly and deeply . His hand reached in between my legs, pushing my dress up. He felt the outside of my panties and the wetness that was there because of him. He added pressure in the form of his fist at my sex opening as I softly moaned. He pushed my panties to the side so the small piece of lace fabric was out of the way. With one hand at my sweet spot, his other hand went to my mouth as he slipped two fingers inside and I gladly suck them. He pulled them out then kissed me on the mouth, urgently. I pulled my panties down half-way and I gasped, almost panting with desire and want. He reached down and pulled my panties off completely, tossing them onto my seat. He pushed my legs apart. His eyes met mine and we seemed to connect by sight alone. He pumped a finger in and out of me, then added a second. My legs stretched apart even further to give him free access.

The pace started slow, then built faster. He rubbed my clit in a circular motion. I couldn't help the steady moans and I fought to keep myself quiet. My g-spot was found with his long fingers and it felt like I was on fire. It was exciting and stimulating to be in a public area doing this, sharing this high above the clouds. There really was nothing like it. I imagined him entering inside of me and I pulled his head toward mine with both of my hands as my body rocked with absolute pleasure. I orgasmed and silently moaned into his mouth. As he removed his fingers, I whimpered at the loss and the sensitive nature of my sex spot. We both leaned back as we caught our breaths. Eventually we put the lower parts of our clothing back on.

He grabbed my hand and wrapped it around his own, placing it next to his rapidly beating heart. I felt the beating of my own heart and his beat at a similar rate as we lay there with our hands connected. There were no words as we drifted off into sleep.

* * *

The pilot's voice came over the speakers, making his announcement about customs and paperwork as I stirred from my sleep.

"Folks, we have begun our descent to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, where the current weather is partly cloudy 20°C, 68°F. We will be at the gate in about twenty minutes. We'd like the flight attendants to prepare the cabin for arrival, and we want to thank you for flying with us today."

The arm rest between the seats was still up and it appeared I had slept with my head resting against Edward. The blanket was still draped around us in our own little bubble of warmth. My eyes opened and I saw a mess of bronze-colored hair mixed with my own long, brown hair. A peaceful Edward was still sleeping. His hand was resting on my thigh. I stretched my leg and his hand gripped my thigh tightly. I smiled at the grip. He looked absolutely breathtaking and innocent while asleep.

I couldn't believe what had happened during our flight. What would happen to us once we parted ways? Did he do this with other women? What if this is the last I ever saw of him? Should we have had sex in the bathroom so I could feel how he felt inside me?

_I'd really like to kiss him again; I really would like to see him in all his naked glory. _

I had never done anything like this before. I was not the one-night-stand type. In the little time I'd known Edward, I'd acted like a take-charge kind of gal. This part of me wasn't known until I met Edward, and I liked it. A better version of me had formed because of this one encounter. There was something about him that was making me truly appreciate the saying, "Carpe Diem" and I wanted to thank him for it.

I moved forward as I started hearing the chatter of the people getting louder. I rubbed Edward's hand on my thigh to gently wake him so I could move and get ready to bring my seat back upright.

I took in the scenery from the sky and it looked so nice, trees and buildings starting to become clear. I made a note to remember to come back to actually experience what Amsterdam and the Netherlands had to offer. It all looked lovely from here.

When I felt his gaze on me, I turned back around to greet him.

"Hello there. We'll be landing shortly," I said softly to him, a bit of worry appearing on my face.

He sat up and began running his hands through his hair and then leaned back over to me. He cupped my chin with his hands and looked into my eyes; I started melting again at his gorgeousness, when he leaned over and kissed me.

He pulled away and tells or asked, "Good morning?"

"Um… yeah, I don't remember what time it was supposed to be when we arrived."

"Actually, I think it will be about 2:00 p.m., Amsterdam time."

"Yes, that's it," I said remembering the itinerary I thought I had memorized.

The plane neared the ground and there was a slight bump when the plane landed on the runway and began to slow.

There was an awkward silence as we both were probably considering our actions of a few hours ago.

I was nervous now that he was awake, scared that I would be rejected. Maybe he was putting on a front because he was forced to spend the night with me. If this had been a one-night stand, would he have snuck out and left to wake in an empty bed? My mind ran rampant with thoughts of rejection; the confidence I'd experienced earlier had been crushed. I wondered if this was all some master plan to get me interested in him enough to fool around in the bathroom and seats of an airplane. I doubted that he had given me his correct phone number.

I let out a sigh that I hadn't realized would be as loud as it actually sounded. I sat there with my head full of paranoid what ifs. The plane moved slowly to line up to the aerobridge, and still there was no further conversation between us. He broke the silence first.

"Bella, I'm sorry… I have to ask. Do you think it was a mistake hooking up?"

I looked at my hands, quite ashamed at all the scenarios that were running through my head. He couldn't read my mind; I should have just played it off as tiredness.

"No. I just… I mean I think it may have meant more for me." The words were truthful.

_What the hell is it with words just free-falling out of my mouth before I even think things completely through!_

My eyes closed. I was utterly embarrassed that I had said that. If I wasn't already just a one-night hook-up, getting too serious would chase this guy out of my life so fast, my head might spin.

"Listen, Bella. I don't regret what we did. I like you—a lot, and I would love to explore getting to know you better, if you would allow me to. We may have done this backwards, but I really don't know how to explain the great attraction I have to you. I want to know you."

People started rising from their seats around us and gathering their belongings as we were being let off.

I was speechless. He seemed sincere and I wanted to believe him. I _really _wanted to believe those words.

"I want to know you, too," I said with budding confidence forming again.

"Let's try this again. Hello. My name is Edward Anthony Cullen. What is yours, Miss?" He smiled and took my hand in his in a handshake.

People were pushing past us with their belongings and filing out as we remained sitting.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Isabella Marie Swan."

"Ms. Swan, now that we've exchanged phone numbers, I would really like to hear from you once you arrive in Italy. My original offer is still valid. I would love to show you around once I'm done with business matters."

"Okay," I said, but truthfully I didn't know if I would take him up on his offer. I didn't know if I could be bold enough to make another first move.

He helped me up from my seat and retrieved my bag from the overhead compartment, waiting for me to pack my items back into my carry-on. We walked side by side once we were out of the plane.

"When does your flight leave and what airline will you be going on?" he asked.

"KLM. It departs in fifty minutes."

"Oh. We better get you to your gate soon, they may already be boarding. I'm very familiar with this airport; let's see where you have to go." He placed a guiding hand on my back momentarily.

When he showed me to my gate, I pulled out my phone and mumbled something about needing to text Alice to let her know I'd arrived. Once that was out of the way, I saw that they were once again calling the first-class seats to begin boarding. I was in the first group on this flight to be seated after the airline called first class. Edward looked down at me as they announced the next group of passengers to board. I hadn't realized how tall he looked next to me, even with my heels on. We were in seated positions almost the entire time we'd known each other. He looked strong and impossibly beautiful. How did I manage to meet him? He was totally out of my league.

"This is my boarding group," I said softly, my confidence deflating like a popped balloon. I felt like I didn't want to leave him even though I'd got so much to look forward to in Italy.

"Okay."

We looked at each other, both of us silent and unmoving. What was the goodbye procedure for someone you just met? Someone you've also just spent almost ten hours with, which also happens to be someone you kind of joined the mile-high club with?

"Hey, so you never told me why you thought I was a mainstream book-type of girl?" I asked trying to break the mood and remembering the question I had wanted to ask before we were interrupted.

He looked at me. His eyes seemed to go straight to my now faster-beating heart. He shifted a bit to whisper in my ear, "Because you are too young and pretty to be that into classic literature. Those are the types of books reserved for required school readings, not 'just for fun' reading. But that's why I like you so much; you are the opposite of what I thought you'd be."

He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and brought me to his body in a hug. I gladly accepted it wrapping my arms around him and smelling his scent. He leaned down and gave me the softest, most gentle kiss on the lips.

We didn't say goodbye; it was left at that. We released our arms from each other and with a last look at his face and a gentle smile on my face, I made my way toward the aerobridge and walked through. I couldn't look back. Would this be the last time I ever saw him? I wanted to remember Edward in that sweet moment. I couldn't think about that now. I wondered if he looked back at me, as I left. I wondered if I'd ever know.

...

When I got to my assigned seat, my travel partner had not yet arrived. An older man with salt and pepper hair assisted me with lifting my bag into the overhead bin. I sat down and stared out of my assigned window seat, waiting for the plane to fill with noisy passengers. This flight was much shorter, but it would probably feel much longer to my now saddened blue-colored heart. A youngish woman sits next to me and smiles. She put ear buds in her ears right away and turned on her iPod.

* * *

I walked out of the plane. It was good to finally be on the ground. I was beyond exhausted from the traveling. I think it had to have been about five p.m. I walked to the baggage claim area and waited while bags traveled down the belt.

"Bella!"

I turned around to see Alice running to me. Jasper followed closely behind her.

Alice reached me first and tightly wrapped herself around me in a gigantic hug.

"It is so great to see you, Alice! And you too, Jasper!" I exclaimed with as much energy as I could muster. I really was excited to see them.

Jasper grabbed me and lifted me off the ground in a hug.

"This is going to be so fun… I love that outfit, Bella, and your heels!" Alice practically sang while wrapping her arms back around me.

I laughed at her enthusiasm, but I was tired and all I really wanted to do was have her point me to a bed so I could sleep and try to get used to the time difference. I hoped I would have that same dream again, only with a real-life person starring in it, perhaps Edward.

As we waited for my bags to appear, I turned on my phone and got a beep and buzz for two new text messages. They were sent almost exactly at the time I was scheduled to leave Amsterdam.

_Text 1 of 2:_

**Bella**

**Hope you have a great flight. Rest up tonight. I'll call you tomorrow so we can talk more about my showing you around.**

**Edward**

_Text 2 of 2:_

**Bella**

**Don't think you can get out of my giving you the tour. I've got an authentic Italian houseboat I'd like to show you.**

**Edward**

_..._

_Wait what? Houseboat?  
_

I looked down at the messages, feeling giddy and excited. If my heart were on display, it would be turning a rainbow of vibrant colors that matched my emotions. My heart and mind were happy, euphoric and enchanted by the unknown mysteries of a possible real-life, Mr. Dream Man.

But ever the pessimist, I couldn't help but think, maybe that was just my heart?

* * *

_**Please review and let me know what you think. All comments and feedback encouraged!  
**_

* * *

_**A/N  
**_

_ This was the winning chapter for the O/S contest. I left it open for continuing because at the end because I cared too much for the characters to let them go!  
_

_To see the other entries in this contest, please visit the contest page: http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2675313/_

_THANK YOU, Blahblahblah and DeeDreamer at PTB for their assistance!  
_

_* Come talk with me on twitter: twitter dot com/Lo21__

**_See ya next chapter!  
_**

_**-~*Lo*~**  
_


	2. Orange Colored Heart

**Stephenie Meyer had an epic dream, she owns all things Twilight. I'm just playing with the characters.  
**

**This story is M for language and lemons.**

This will be a fun story about confidence, courage, and love. There will be some fluff, some bits of humor, citrus, lemons, and a little drama in for good measure. ;)

* * *

**Chapter 2: Orange Colored Heart**

* * *

_Orange represents: enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, attraction, success, and stimulation._

_*~*~*~ORANGE~*~*~*_

Inside the busy, bustling airport, I was almost swooning at the text messages I'd received from Edward. I was aware that I had definitely sighed out loud and may have even placed a hand over my heart in surprise. I read the text messages once, twice, maybe even three times to make sure my eyes were not deceiving me. I was aware that people were talking around me and that there was a skinny arm linked with mine belonging to my best friend. I was even aware that yes, my feet were moving me outside the doors of the airport. Still, everything and everyone around me was shut out as I focused on what this meant for me.

My mind raced with loads of questions and thoughts of doubt and uneasiness. Would I be getting ahead of myself if I considered whether or not Edward and I had potential to be more than a summer fling? Would I be spooning cookie dough and crying at the end of my one-month vacation to mend my broken heart? What if it was all about the adrenaline high for him? The same doubts that I had on the plane were still running through my head as I made my way through the airport.

Along with the many negatives that had surfaced, coming from deep within myself. Being in Edward's presence made me feel bold and there was an unexplainable courage that surfaced from deep inside of me. If I was being honest, I liked the take-charge-say-what's-on-her-mind Bella more than the quiet, reserved typical Bella. The encounter with Edward on the plane had been crazy and passionate, but but could there be more to it? I knew after my internal debate that I had to at least try.

If it were possible that my heart could have be flashing a multitude of colors, I was sure it would look like a rotating disco ball, beating loudly and flashing wildly inside my chest.

Beyond the infinite questions of doubt, inside, my heart was a kaleidoscope full of light and happiness and my mind settled instead to a singing of the _Lady and the Tramp_ love song, "Bella Notte." It seemed fitting enough because hey, my name _was _in the title. Whatever was going on in my heart was making my body do funny things. My lips formed an automatic goofy smile like some love-sick idiot as I imagined the cartoon dogs going on their first date. _Except...wait. Damn, was I a tramp__? Er, wait...Tramp was the male dog and it totally didn't have the same meaning. _What I _did_ was trampy, in the modern sense of the word._  
_

I barely knew the guy, but I was crushing hard. I couldn't believe this was happening to me, or that Edward wanted to know me. I also couldn't believe my uncharacteristic actions on the plane ride over. It felt unreal, like I was a spectator watching a Hollywood movie, rooting for the plain but beautiful-on-the-inside-girl to get the way-out-of-her-league guy. Had I really met a gorgeous stranger and joined the mile-high club just hours earlier?

_Oh, dear. Who does that? Me, apparently._

I couldn't wait to spill the details of this encounter to Alice, but it would have to wait until it was just the two of us. I would have to leave out some of the more uh, _intimate details_, but I knew she would get the gist. I was beyond excited, so I was sure she'd be ecstatic.

"Earth to Bella..." Jasper said in a sing-song voice.

_Who? What? _

"Oh, sorry, Jasper, did you say something?" I questioned after having been interrupted from my bubble of thoughts.

"Yeah, I asked how your flight was." Jasper continued.

I took a moment to formulate a response in regard to the fuck-awesome flight. He looked at me curiously, waiting for a response. I probably couldn't say I joined the mile high club to him, but I could tell them that it wasn't a bad flight.

"It was fantastic! It was amazing and unreal. If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up," I said with a permanent smile on my face.

They both laughed, but I was truly serious. Here I was walking into a beautiful new country for a month-long vacation visiting my friends. I was eager to begin exploring not only the city, but the entire country. I wanted to explore Edward and couldn't wait to find out if he felt the same way about me. _There, I said it._

I had every intention of coming to Italy to see the sights, soak up the culture and experience everything the country had to offer. I might have even fantasized about meeting a hot Italian local who I wouldn't be able to communicate with, except for three words: please, yes and orgasm. I imagined the fun possibilities.

I definitely did not anticipate that I'd meet a hot Seattle man that I'd be able to feel so comfortable with. I certainly didn't anticipate Edward offering himself as a guide to show me around.

As I walked out of the airport and into the parking lot, my eyes were probably the size of saucers. There was a warm summer breeze in the air and everything around me was something new and interesting. I was already in love with the city. Even Alice and Jasper's car looked amazing to me. Since they'd be living in Italy for three years, they had purchased a European vehicle.

"It's a 2002 Alpha Romeo 166," Alice gushed while walking to the door of a sporty-looking black European-spec car. "Isn't it pretty?" she asked, fluttering her long eyelashes. I nodded an enthusiastic yes, while Jasper shook his head and scoffed as he helped pack everything in the trunk.

"Pretty..." Jasper mumbled loud enough for both Alice and I to look at each other and giggle.

My bags barely fit inside the trunk, but luckily there was some space right next to me in the backseat. I couldn't help but comment on how sexy the car looked and how the United States needed to get with the program and get some of these models over there.

"Once this assignment is over, we are going to have to make a decision on whether we are gonna sell or ship it. But, who knows? Maybe I'll get stationed somewhere else in Europe," Jasper said.

The conversation shifted to the big differences in makes and models of European vehicles as we passed other cars on the road. As Jasper started his "manly" talk about transmissions and engine sizes, my thoughts went back to Edward. The man that had taken possession of my mind.

I made a quick decision to send a text back to Edward. _Don't over-think, just type._ Gathering up my courage, I began typing away.

**Edward, I made it to Venice on a quiet flight. I am holding you to your offer of showing me around. I want to see the best Italy has to offer. Including you. ;-) **

The message was quickly erased. I didn't think I was that confident and in addition, we were not on a stupid smiley emoticon basis yet. I attempted again.

** Edward- Had a great flight. Authentic Italian houseboat? How did you know?**

I erased the message again. He was being polite. I knew all I needed to do was acknowledge the message and say that I was definitely interested._ And also willing and able, but I didn't need to get that far into it. _

** Edward-the flight was great, thanks. I accept and look forward to see, whatever sights you'd like to show me. Talk to you soon. **

My finger hovered over the send button. The message was short-ish and to the point, and had a bit of a flirty tone to it. Unfortunately, there was no flirt font, so he could take it as serious or flirty. It was up to him. Before I could over-think the wording some more, I tapped the screen and it was off into the world to be received by a delectably gorgeous man.

I felt the world shifting about. Was our fate being written?

Once again I found myself sporting that stupid grin as I daydreamed and re-imagined our actions on the plane. _Why did he have to be so damn sexy? _What really stayed with me though, beyond his extraordinary good looks, was the final conversation we'd had in person. He felt my uneasiness then made me feel better when he suggested we reintroduce ourselves. I could still hear the final words he'd spoken to me before I boarded the second flight, whispering in that sexy voice that he liked me. The air felt different with him around, exciting, and made me feel that he couldn't possibly just be some summer fling. He was thinking of me, just as I was thinking of him now. I could feel the honesty in his goodbye kiss; this was a guy worth knowing. Luckily, I hadn't been busted by Alice or Jasper smiling at my phone as if it were Edward standing there in the flesh.

I _"oohed_" and_ "ahhed_" as we passed by the probably historically beautiful buildings, and I took in the scenic mountain drive toward the apartment where I'd be residing during my month-long visit. I knew my time here would be memorable. After about a thirty-five minute drive, we reached our destination and pulled into the parking area. The building was white with red shutters and wrought iron balconies, just how I imagined. A massive grassy courtyard was directly in front and stone dividers separated the different buildings. In the distance, there were breathtakingly beautiful mountains. As I walked outside and felt the sunlight soak into my skin, I took a deep breath of Italian air. It felt strange standing outside, almost like I'd been here before. A sense of déjà vu momentarily stunned me. Alice and Jasper lead the way and I followed, looking around with bright wide eyes. This would be my new home for the month. Awesome.

Once inside, I was ushered into the guest bedroom to drop off my bags, and then I was off on a tour of the flat. I took in the unique details, comparing how the red tiled floors and the wall of different colored stones differed from the apartments back at home.

As Jasper headed into the kitchen to get dinner started, and yes, he was the cook of his family, Alice and I headed back into my room. The details started spilling from my mouth as soon as Alice sat her little ass on my bed, starting with the dream. I couldn't keep this information from her any longer.

"I swear! The dream felt so fucking real. It was so damn hot. And the way he made me feel,the sparks, the passion, it was like I really was on my honeymoon. I wanted to see a face, but there was none, and it sucked, you know? I was all sad panda." Alice nodded as she opened one of my suitcases and helped by placing clothes on hangers; she'd kept her lips closed so far. She let out an exaggerated sigh, and I knew that she wanted to tell me I was crazy. She handed me a red cherry lollipop and I took it, popping it into my mouth. Suddenly I was full of energy even though moments before all I wanted was sleep.

"Then, when I get to my airplane seat this gorgeous fuck-hot man is sitting there, looking impossibly dazzling. It was like fate, or destiny, or some crazy shit like that. I felt those same feelings that I did in my dream. He was easy to talk to, and we talked about books, families, pets, jobs. But there was this sexual tension in the air. He was flirting and I was flirting." I waved the lollipop as I talked with animated facial expressions and the burst of excitement on full display. I couldn't control it any longer.

Alice raised an eyebrow but remained silent while I continued on with the rambling account of my dream and how I was convinced Edward was the factor that connected it all together.

"He is beyond hot, Alice. He's like, I don't know...what's a synonym for hot?"

"I don't know, sizzling?" Alice piped in. Her blue-gray eyes were big and finally she found the excitement that I wanted to see from her. Her mouth was partly open, as she hung on the details of my conversation, like her life depended on it.

"So, we eventually fall asleep, but I wake up because of a cramped neck and he wakes up, too. I get up and head into the bathroom and..."

"You didn't!" Alice squealed. "You dirty..." I held a hand out and grab her shoulder, my eyes large as I rushed out the next words.

"He was standing there with a smile when I opened the door and he backed me up and locked the door. He looked mischievous but once the door was closed, he seemed really cautious about what he was planning next. So, I grabbed a handful of hair and kissed him. And I may or may not have been the first person to add tongue. Can you believe it?" Alice nodded with a too-enthusiastic shake of her head no, because this was so uncharacteristic of me. Her mouth was still hanging open. "I _grabbed _his hair and pulled him to me, and we started kissing and um...more. There were hands grabbing body parts, lips sucking and tongues mingling. It was hot. So. Fucking. Hot."

"Wow! I never in a million years thought you'd join the mile high club, babe!" Alice clapped her hands and looked at me with...admiration? _Hell yes! Finally, some respect._

"Well...I mean, it wasn't in the typical sense." With an arched brow, her face became serious. "I'd still consider it joining the mile high club, but we sort of only pleasured each other. We didn't have actual, uh...intercourse."

"Oh, Bella. Intercourse, really?" She rolled over the bed in a fit of laughter and I pinched her, but she just laughed harder, and ended up snorting.

"Geez, Alice. My region south of the border practically has spider webs from inactivity; I thought you'd be excited that I got some action, not make fun of me," I said with a pout as I crossed my arms over my chest.

She managed to stop laughing for a quick moment. "This is just so not a Bella thing though. You know I hate to pry, but you just pleasured each other, huh? No penetration?" she asked, scoffing at the idea.

"Well I mean, yeah, he entered me, just not with his dick. I saw his mini me...which was not so mini, and I did stuff to it; we both got off." I somehow managed to make out, I knew she was going to make fun of me, thanks to my lame description. I could talk all sorts of dirty in my head, but I couldn't say the words out loud. It was so annoying.

Alice was back to a rolling fit of laughter and after a moment I knew I had explained it lamely. It was contagious as we ended up with tears in our eyes and pain in our cheeks from the non-stop giggling.

"Oh, my God!" Alice shouted out amidst the laughing fit.

When we finally had control of our laughter, Alice sat up, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes and continued.

"Wouldn't it be awesome if you could predict the future? What if that dream was a prediction that you two are meant to be?" Alice questioned. A wide smile appeared on her face as she seemed lost in a daydream.

"Okay. Focus here, Alice. Do you, or do you not think I have ESP or psychic abilities?" I joked.

"Well you know, I remember that one time when we were riding in your car. We were talking about a certain song we wanted to hear and then, bam! It's all of a sudden one of the next songs being played," she said seriously.

"You are totally right! That explains it. I'm psychic," I exclaimed before punching her in the arm and rolling my eyes.

"Ow! That hurt!" she yelled returning the punch.

"Oh my gosh, Alice, I didn't even hit you that hard and this one is probably going to bruise," I complained.

"Suck it up, Bella, and continue with your story already!" Alice screeched.

"So here's the kicker," I said with that stupid silly grin on my face as I opened my phone. I showed her the messages and watched as her eyes got big and she screamed. She literally screamed, loudly.

Jasper ran into the room, with his "kiss the cook" apron on and all, and with a nervous breath asked, "What is it? What happened?"

"Oh, Jasper, this is girl talk. Scoot!" Alice scolded him.

With a loud sigh and a shake of his head, Jasper retreated back out of the room. "Dinner will be ready soon!" he bellowed from the hallway.

"Sorry, Jasper!" I yelled back as he walked away. Poor guy, he didn't know what he'd agreed to by letting me stay here. Alice and I had gone back to our sixteen-year-old high school days of giggles, sleepovers, and girl-talk only bonding.

"How do you think Edward knew to text me about showing me a fucking houseboat, though?" I asked getting back to the current question at hand.

She stared back blankly. "That is an excellent question, and you should probably ask about that when you speak with him."

After dinner, I settled into my bed with food in my belly, a smile on my face, good friends near, and giddiness in my heart. The day's events had taken their toll, and my pillow would definitely be getting some head tonight. _Did I just make a dirty joke? Where has old Bella gone?_ It didn't take me very long as my head hit the pillow for me to fall fast asleep. The last thing I remembered before resting my mind was a chiseled jaw line, a sexy hard body and the perfect intoxicating green eyes of Edward.

_*~*~*~ORANGE~*~*~*_

Buzz! Buzz! Buzzzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzzzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzzzz!

I felt around the bed with one hand. _Where the fuck is that vibrator?_

It took me several seconds to realize that it was actually my phone buzzing when I found it at the foot of my bed. _Weird. I thought it was under my pillow.  
_

"Hello?" I answered sleepily with one eye open and a harsh morning voice. I didn't even bother with seeing who it was. It was very bright inside the room, and I was confused for a moment before realizing that I wasn't in my own room back at home.

"Bella! Hey girl, how are you?" the female voice exclaimed.

"Huh? Who is this?" I said with a cough to clear my morning voice.

"Are you that out of it, Bella? Isn't it like 4 p.m. there?" I realized that it was my other best friend, Angela.

"Oh, hey, Angela, no of course not! I wouldn't sleep that late." I looked at the alarm clock by my bed and saw it was in fact, 4:30 p.m.

"Shit! What the fuck is with me and setting alarms? Where the hell is Alice, and why didn't she wake me up?"

She giggled on the other end of the phone as I sat up and rubbed the sleepiness from my eyes. The house was silent, so I knew I had to have been alone.

"Watch your language, Bella. That is not very lady-like." I giggled. She always told me I didn't need to curse to get my point across. "Just wanted to check on you, see how everything was going," she continued.

"Everything is great. But I still have lots to unpack. I can't believe Alice didn't wake me. I have so much to do. I want to get out and experience Italy!" Fucking Alice, she would hear it from me later. "Oh! How is Argos?" I asked, suddenly changing subjects and remembering my miniature black and white Scottish terrier dog. I wondered how he was adapting to living with them.

"He is being a good dog. So far he hasn't had any accidents and hasn't eaten any shoes. I think he misses you though. He's been sleeping a lot; he seems depressed. He always runs to the door when it's opened," she told me.

"Aw, I miss him so much. Give him a kissy face for me." I frowned at this news. I was very thankful that Angela and Ben were able to pet sit for me and watch over my condo while I was away. I missed him terribly though. He was the one constant I had through my bad breakups and lonely nights.

We had the standard, 'how's it going' conversation, and it naturally transitioned into how my flight was. I told her about meeting Edward, but I left out all the sexy details. She was never comfortable talking about sexual encounters. I wouldn't say she was a prude, just guarded with sexual information. Being a minister's daughter, Angela was somewhat reserved, but was kind and selfless. She was also recently married to her college sweetheart, Ben. I was way behind my friends in the love department.

Angela was definitely the complete opposite of Alice. See, the thing with Alice was, she was not shy. I knew the size of Jasper's dick and knew all about their naughty role-playing. I knew how often they had sex, and I accidentally walked in on a quickie once at their old apartment. The only thing I knew about Angela was that they had sex on their wedding night. The point was, I could talk to Alice about my sex life, when I had one, and I could get great advice from Angela. They were two totally different girls with opposite personalities, but both were friends that I could count on.

"I'm glad you feel you are ready to move on past James, and I'm really excited for you. Also glad that he lives here in Seattle, that makes this optimal," Angela said gently. It still stung to hear the name of my former live-in boyfriend, and our many breakups, but I was leaving that drama where it belonged: in the past. The short of the story was, I fell for his bad-boy looks, but it had translated to the rest of his life; he was inconsiderate of my feelings and was only concerned with himself.

As I was chatting with Angela, Alice peeked her head inside the door and waved. She closed the door gently though when she saw I was on the phone.

We talked for a few more minutes before ending the call, and I looked through my phone to see if I had any missed messages or calls. There were none. I was disappointed that Edward had not called yet, but he was here on business after all.

_It's okay...the day is not done. It's not a big deal_, I reminded myself.

I showered quickly then went to find Alice. I found her in the living room plopped on the couch and watching the news.

"I'm glad you are up! You had a really, really long nap," Alice said to me.

"A nap? I was never awake this morning. I slept away the whole day! That's one less day I have here for my vacation," I said with a frown and a loud yawn.

"Don't worry; you have plenty of time for exploration. We can start tomorrow and you know, Edward is going to be able to show you probably some of the more romantic spots," she chipped in.

"That was him, wasn't it?" she asked, smiling.

"What was him?_"_

"On the phone!"

"Oh!" My brain still wasn't functioning yet. My body was not communicating that it was almost the end of the day here. It felt early, and I guessed it would be if I were still on Washington time. It was a nine-hour time difference.

"No, it was..."

I was about to tell her that I'd just gotten off the phone with Angela when the phone rang again. This time I peered down at the caller ID.

Edward.

"Fuck. It's him. It's him! Edward's calling me." I did a silly run in place. Alice pumped her arms in the air and we both laughed. There was something about being around Alice that brought out my inner teenager.

"Answer it!" Alice screamed as I clicked the phone to answer.

"Hello! I mean, uh, hello?" Alice's yelling at me, and my excitement, translated on the phone as I practically shouted a hello. _Fuck. Me. So immature._

Sexy laughter came across the line—_his_ sexy laughter which was coming from his sexy lips, which were attached to his sexy mouth and placed beautifully on his sexy face.

"Hi, Isabella?" Edward asked politely.

"Yes, it is. You don't have to be so formal, though. Just call me Bella. How are you, Edward?" I smiled. I'm sure he could tell over the phone. I could hear his smile translate over the phone too.

"Oh, I'm alright. I'm actually at the airport right now, waiting for my flight. I'm finally leaving, and, you know... since we met at an airport it just brought back the memories for me."

I heard his smile again and my face felt hot, and I knew it was beat red.

"Bella, oh my...are you blushing?" Alice asked softly as I turned around to avoid looking at her. She was making me flustered.

"You're blushing?" Edward teased. I couldn't believe he had heard Alice. _She is so dead!_

"You heard that? Um... excuse me a moment." I shielded my phone with my hand then pressed the mute button. "Alice, do you mind? Stop eavesdropping and give me a little privacy, would ya?"

"He's got bionic ears! I said it softly, and I wanna hear!" she pouted.

"Alice, sweetie. I'm gonna tell you everything later, anyway."

She started to open her mouth, probably to aruge, but closed it and silently marched away. I began walking to my room and finally closed my bedroom door.

"Sorry about that. I have a nosy best friend."

"Don't worry about it. So, I've given some thought to what I'd like to show you."

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?"

"The Canalazzo."

Gulp.

"Excuse me?"

_Say again? What the hell is that?_

"You'll see it when you agree to come with me, tomorrow evening?"

"Okay. I mean, I have to check with Alice and see if she has anything planned, but yes. I'd love to see you tomorrow."

If Alice had any plans for tomorrow, she would reschedule, because that's how much of a kick-ass girl she was. I knew she was going to be excited for me.

And so, this was it. The date had been set. He was going to show me his Canalazzo. Well, okay, he was going to show me what a Canalazzo was.

"Aliiiiiice!" I yelled.

She ran in with the speed of a tiger after its prey.

"What the fuck is a Canalazzo, and why does Edward want to take me there?" I asked her, flipping my hair up and holding it with both hands into an air ponytail on top of my head.

Squeals emerged from Alice. I caught random words as she burst with excitement. I heard the words: romantic, perfect, beautiful, and amazing at night.

I was beyond excited and filled with anticipation. I couldn't wait to feel his lips on mine once again. I was going to explore a foreign country and this beautiful city with him. It was looking like it was shaping up to be a very pleasurable summer, and I couldn't wait to see Edward again.

_*~*~*~ORANGE~*~*~*_

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**I was told that clicking the REVIEW button will make money fall from the sky... Come on, you know you wanna see if it's true.**

* * *

FYI: a PCS means permanent change of station in the United States military. It is used when on orders to move from one duty station to another. International locations are most often a move for at least three years.

**A/N: **Hello again to all the readers/reviewers of my o/s, thank you so much for your comments during the contest and also by supporting me under my own penname. I'd also like to welcome to any new readers I have picked up. Thank you so much for your support with your comments and story alerts. Those things keep me motivated, it's a real treat to see them.

The next chapter is already written and Bella and Edward will reunite. Set your story alerts so you know when I post a new chapter. I have an uncertain posting schedule but it will probably be every week or every other week.

Thank you to **sscana** for making my story known to maybe a few extra readers in awarding it the host's choice award. Thank you to the all the rest of the judges for giving me the inspiration for this little story.

The rest of the entries in this contest were amazing and I was lucky enough to meet a couple new girls in this fun and sexy challenge. So far, this story looks to be a longish novella maybe about 15 chapters? I have set up a blog that will provide certain visuals, you can check that out here: http:/ / acomh(dot)blogspot(dot)com/

MUCH THANKS to LovelyBrutal and E's My Brand Of Heroin for their pre-reading/beta skills for this chapter. I made some changes after receiving, so I own all my mistakes.

FIC REC: Seated in the Sky by LovelyBrutal. Go read it and laugh your ass off.

http:/www. fanfiction. net/s/6822317/1/Seated_In_The_Sky

You can find their stories under my favorite authors link on my profile.

Finally, THANK YOU to theswandive and HEAR from PTB!

**Thanks for reading!**

**-~*Lo*~**

**Also, come chat on twitter twitter dot com/ Lo21_  
**


	3. Yellow Colored Heart

Disclosure: I don't own anything Twilight.

Reminder: This story is rated M and NC-17 in future chapters.

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_**Chapter 3: Yellow Colored Heart**_

* * *

_Yellow represents: optimism, enlightenment, happiness and the promise of a positive future. Yellow can also spark creative thoughts._

_*~*~*~YELLOW~*~*~*_

"Bella, stop pulling on your dress! It looks fine, and you'll just get it wrinkled!" Alice directed.

With her hands on her hips and a scowl on her pretty face, she had _almost _made me scared. It wasn't just a tease, it was an outright scold. I shot her an incredulous glare that was both anxious and disbelieving. I was 23 years old, and I already had a mom to boss me around.

Of course, I didn't believe her.

I glanced back at my reflection and stared at the way my ass looked in the mirror, tugging at the edges of the light green chiffon dress I was wearing. I searched for an extra inch or two of fabric that was nowhere to be found. _But maybe if I pull just a little bit more._ After a few minutes of wasted effort on the too short dress, I turned back to look at the front of it and fussed with the asymmetrical neckline surrounded by soft ruffles. I placed my hands over the empire waist holding them there momentarily, then down to my stomach because it felt like I was going to be sick. It was a beautiful dress, but my nerves were getting the best of me.

I'd never felt so foolish, and a lot had to do with the fact that I was feeling this way over a man. You'd think I had never been on a date before! Edward would be picking me up in approximately one hour to go on our first date. Now, saying this could potentially be the best first date ever would be an understatement, based solely on the location. Tonight, I would be going to the famous and beautiful Grand Canal or as the equally gorgeous Edward called it, the Canalazzo.

"Sheesh. You sound like my mom, except, she'd probably agree with me. This dress is way too short; are you sure this is appropriate?" I whined.

"It's the perfect dress, and he's not going to want to take his eyes off of you, babe," Alice assured me.

Her words didn't stop the butterflies that had made a permanent residence inside, and making me feel like I literally ate the damn things. I felt completely and utterly sick. I began to work my fingers frantically through my long brown and recently curled locks of hair. My heart started sensing the panic inside and it accelerated, seemingly moving with time itself like a grandfather clocks' pendulum.

"I think my hair looks too curly. I want it to look naturally wavy, Alice. I have no intention of having tightly curled Felicity Porter hair. Help me loosen the curls because I'm freaking out here! It's getting so late!"

Alice placed a small comforting hand on my shoulder then started running her hands through my hair.

"I think it looks great," she said softly.

"Stop telling me everything is fine, Alice, and please just be nervous with me," I pleaded.

I didn't like the calm and collected incarnation of Alice. She was smug and happy, and since she'd already found the man she loved, she didn't understand my tension. I couldn't hate her for that, and I didn't, but she'd been with Jasper so long that she probably didn't remember her first date jitters. _I_ had reason to be worried. I have had my fair share of bad dates. To name a few excuses I was forced to make: I'd fake sickness, faked a death of a fictitious family member, and then ran out of excuses and finally said, "Look, this isn't going to work, I'm just going to go."

Was this going to be the one that broke the unlucky streak?

As we worked our fingers furiously through my hair, I recollected the earlier events of the day. My first exploration day had been absolutely fabulous. Jasper and Alice lived in a small city called Pordenone, which was about forty miles away from Venice. Alice and Jasper did most of their shopping there. While Jasper was at work, Alice and I headed into the city for some exploring and browsing. I soon found that Venice was a city of open-air shopping, divided into many streets. The weather was sunny and breezy as we walked around the main Venetian street for commerce, Le Mercerie. I was surprised at the amount of fashion, art, and jewelry shops along the endless stretch of roads. I also quickly found that women here were exotic looking beauties and didn't mess around with their fashion. With my pale, freckled skin, I stood out like a sore thumb amongst the olive-skinned beauties of this city.

Westopped at a smallish café for lunch where we feasted on crab and shrimp cannelloni and shared stories of high school and college. We had had a blast reminiscing and just being around each other again. I also managed to take in a bit of what the Grand Canal looked like, but Alice didn't want to spoil any surprises, so it was more of a drive-by than a true tour. Meanwhile, I probably looked like a fish out of water, with my mouth wide open. I saw flashes of the enormous beauty that was near, but that I wouldn't get to experience in all of its glory until tonight.

I had been fussing with my outfit for the past hour, but I actually did like my dress and considered myself to be somewhat fashionable. I did, however, live on a teacher's salary. I also was buying my condo, so I couldn't spend crazy amounts of money on clothes. I had some nice staple items, but the outfits I owned were nowhere near the expensive famous labels I'd seen on Alice. She was determined to get me into a high end fashion outfit for the date, but I stood my ground and said I wanted to wear something that was my own choice and taste. I didn't want to feel like I wasn't myself. I wanted to wear something that I'd truly be able to afford and wear. I wasn't about to have Alice play dress-up with me; I had opinions of my own. I wasn't nervous about my clothes. My nervousness stemmed from the thoughts that had been circulating in my head.

On the top of the list of things that could possibly happen were: I trip over my feet, then fall into the canal, causing embarrassment to myself and second hand embarrassment to Edward. Sure, that would be frightening. But, to top it off, I couldn't swim for shit so he'd have to rescue my ass. _On second thought... mouth to mouth resuscitation, anyone?_

But, truly, the most dangerous thing that could happen was the capabilities of my own stupid mouth. I clearly had no head to mouth filter around Edward so there was sure to be something embarrassing that would come out of my mouth at one point in the evening.

I hated that I always had to question every single aspect and detail with Edward, but I couldn't help it. Were we starting from square one? He kissed me goodbye the last and only time I'd seen him, so were we at that stage where we could freely kiss each other? Everything was just so backward. First I was supposed to meet someone, then make plans to go out, then kiss, and then have sex!

Ready or not though, after lots of positive and sometimes lewd remarks from Alice, and snarky responses from me, the wait was over. Alice's doorbell was ringing and I was about to find out where we stood.

"I wish Jasper wasn't on duty tonight! I'm gonna be so bored," Alice said, ignoring the doorbell.

"You were bored all those other times when he was on duty and I wasn't here," I mumbled, still staying true to myself by answering Alice's ridiculous statement. It didn't pack as great a punch as I wanted to, because the doorbell ringing had almost silenced the sound of my voice.

Panic set in and all of a sudden my mind and heart was screaming: _Chaos!_

Edward was standing in front of the apartment door and I would be facing him for the first time since our airplane encounter. _Was he sure he wanted to know how truly geeky I was?_

My mouth was all of a sudden dry and I was not ready. I took a deep and shaky breath.

"Would you like me to invite him inside, while you finish getting ready?" Alice asked. It was a casual question with no ounce of nervousness for me.

_Is she my best friend or not? Where are her nerves?_

"Um, let me just slip on my heels and you can answer the door, but be nice and don't embarrass me! I'll be doing enough of that tonight." My voice came out softly as my throat was as dry as the desert in Phoenix.

_Calm your nerves._ I let my lungs fill with air by taking deep breaths. _Stay Calm._

After a series of deep breaths, I could have been practicing for giving birth. This was beyond ridiculous and moving into crazy territory. I didn't want to greet Edward holding a paper bag over my mouth, trying to keep it together.

I put on my strappy heels slowly as I heard the creak of the entry door being opened. There were some garbled sounding greetings; a meeting conversation between Alice and Edward at the door. I didn't want to keep Edward too long, or keep Alice there to entertain him, so I did a final once over before sighing an exaggerated breath. There was no time like the present to make myself proud.

I was going to be fearless.

My heels clicked loudly on the tiled floor and I walked as confidently as I could, making my way toward the living room. I heard a part of their conversation:

"...why is she nervous?" Edward questioned.

"Because she thinks you are gor-"

I rounded the corner and was faced with the little backstabber herself, doing the one thing I asked her not to. I cut her off before she could say something even more damaging.

"Alice! Thank you for greeting Edward, but I'm ready now," I said.

She was met with my classic laser eyes, or bitch face, if you will. I could _have killed_ her. I left her alone for _maybe_ two minutes and that is what came out of her mouth? I couldn't dwell on it though as I took in the sight of Edward. He wore a confident, I know-what-she-was-about-to-say smirk, then a genuine smile formed from his lips. I was surprised that smile hadn't dropped me to my knees into a puddle of mess.

And his eyes. Our eyes met and there were those beautiful pools of green that I'd dreamed and fantasized about. Those were the eyes I'd remembered being hypnotized by. My smile was quick to match his, because it was just impossible not to. My eyes drifted from his eyes to take in the full sights that were purely and uniquely Edward. He wore black slacks, they fit nicely and looked perfectly tailored. On his feet he wore a pair of black converse. Over his perfectly sculpted chest were a green shirt and a casual black blazer on top. His look was a mix of business casual and casual, and he looked absolutely, amazing.

_Shit, and it almost looked like we color-coordinated. Win!_

Seeing him had incited mixed emotions in me. I was excited to be reunited once again, but I also remembered the gloom when I turned around and left him in the airport. I thought for sure I'd never see those beautiful green orbs stare back into my own chocolate colored eyes again. I remembered how easy it was to be near him. There was passion and truthfulness and true meaning behind his eyes when I'd last spoken and seen him, before we had parted ways. But, I didn't think, despite his trusting eyes, that I'd get the chance to see him again. Yet, here he was. _He_ had been the initiator and that brought an enormous boost of confidence in me, so I had been going with the flow. This was impossible to be experiencing so soon, but the battle in my heart was leading me—to him.

_Fuck it. I'm head over heels for a man I barely know._

"Hello, Bella," he said, gazing directly at me. I closed the distance with a few steps and we were inches away. Close, so, so, _close_. Someone else was in the room with us though, so unfortunately, I couldn't jump him and skip the formalities.

If this were a cartoon, my eyes might have turned into little red and pink hearts as they drifted from my eyes forming a line of hearts directly into Edward's.

"Hi Edward. It's good to see you again," I said, with a toothy smile. I desperately wanted to reach out and grab him and hug or kiss him.

He leaned into me and my eyes automatically close, anticipating a kiss. I felt the warm breath as he neared my ear. But, he did not kiss me. Instead, he whispered soothing words into my ear, "You look stunning tonight. Don't worry we are going to have fun."

The closeness of his face caused the tiny hairs at the back of my neck to stand on end and I felt a tingle in my nether region.

_Want._

Anticipation of what was to come?

A simple phrase to put me at ease, how did he always know? All the doubts that I'd had, they were tossed out of the window, or at least they were temporarily silenced.

He turned to face Alice, who had a smile plastered on her face too.

"Bye, Alice. Goodnight, it was nice to meet you," he said, nodding once to her.

"Oh trust me, the pleasure was definitely _mine_," Alice replied, rather flirtatiously.

I rolled my eyes at her tone. Sometimes I loved that girl, and sometimes I wanted to strangle her. I couldn't believe some of the things that came out of her mouth.

"Have fun, Bella!" Alice exclaimed, handing me the apartment key. She winked and waved a quick goodbye. As Edward turned his back to get the door, she took a moment to mouth a silent, "hot" and gave me an enthusiastic thumbs-up. I giggled, and then disguised it as a clearing of my throat. That was why I loved her though; such an Alice thing to do.

_*~*~*~YELLOW~*~*~*_

When the door closed behind us, Edward reached out for my hand. Our fingers and palms connected as I grasped a bit tightly around his beautiful hands. I wanted to see if we still had that certain connection. _Uh, yeah it is still there._ I looked down and couldn't help but notice how my small hand disappeared in his bigger one.

"I hope you don't mind me holding your hand," he said, looking at me with a shy smile. "I mean, I think we skipped a few steps," he added.

"No, I don't mind," I replied quickly. I only had a month to get to know him here, so I was on board for missing a step-or all. In fact, hadn't we skipped them all already?

He laughed, swinging my hand as we walked, and it caused goose bumps to emerge along my body like shooting stars. They traveled up my arm and onto the backs of my legs, I felt like I was still living in my dream. It was so unfair of my body to show the way he made me feel on the outside. But, well, I suppose it was more embarrassing for guys. I'd take a little blush or goose bumps over an erection any day.

"So, you think I'm gorgeous, huh?" Edward teased, squeezing my hand.

I felt the blood rushing to my face, and I quickly avoided eye contact.

"Um, I mean, yeah, obviously. I think I may have mentioned that while we were on the plane," I said to the ground. I didn't have the nerve to say it to his face, but I wouldn't deny it.

_He's seen his own reflection in the mirror. Who wouldn't want to look at that face all day?_

"I think you are gorgeous, too," he uttered in response.

I gulped. Of all my past relationships, I'd never had anyone say I was gorgeous. Pretty? Sexy? Sure, on certain occasions. But this was new to me. It made me feel like I deserved to be standing next this man, because he was just so damn good looking. I couldn't look him in the eyes just yet, so instead I stayed focused on the ground.

"Thanks," I said meekly, not really knowing how to take the compliment.

I finally looked back up into sincere eyes and saw Edward gazing at me like I was some delicious dessert he wanted to sample. I was surprised that he still showed desire in his eyes, too. At the very least, he had said he found me attractive. But, he said I looked stunning earlier and now he said I was gorgeous._ Is this really happening to me?_ I couldn't believe how just a few days ago, the only male company I was keeping was with my dog, Argos. He was great company and though he shows me he loves me by licking me, he has to because I feed him.

"I really like your outfit choice," I mentioned, trying to focus the attention back on him. I pointed this fact out, because a guy who rocks converse with business casual attire, well, he earns brownie points in my book.

"Thanks. I really like your dress, too," he said, causing me to blush. My eyes were trained on him as I widened the smile I already had on my face.

All of a sudden we were at a stop in front of a car.

"Can I ask for a favor?" he asked, with a sheepish grin and a raised eyebrow.

"Sure."

Silence filled the air, it was deafening as I waited for him to continue.

He looked around, then up at the waning crescent moon in the now very dark sky. I followed his gaze, but his eyes only stopped for the space of two heartbeats. My smile disappeared as I looked at him with curiosity.

His eyes peered back at me and the moon's light cast romantic shadowing under the warmish dark Italian summer night.

I gulped in anticipation as my smile slowly reappeared; he had not yet asked for his favor.

My mind was filled with conflicting thoughts. It was so beautiful, such a wasted opportunity if I didn't make a move.

I wanted to kiss him. W_hat if it is too soon to get caught up? But I may only have one month!_ One of Edward's hands remained linked in mine but after a quick moment passed, the other hand gripped my other so that both of my hands were in his. I moved forward from the movement, his hip bone was dangerously close to my body. I broke the silence in a foggy daze.

"So, do you want to skip the date and just..."

I want to say, "so you wanna skip the date and just have passionate sex under the moon?_" _

But I didn't finish the words once I realized what I had said.

_I cannot believe I said that out loud.  
_

There was no response. Instead, one of my hands was released from his, and I was scared that I had said something wrong.

But the connection was lost for only a moment, as his hand instead moved to meet my hip and it rose ever so slightly. The smell of aftershave or cologne added an intoxicating scent to the air, which was the perfect amount of woodsy sandalwood. I would never be able to smell this scent and not think of Edward. His hand sat on my waist, and then slowly worked its way up, gripping just under my breast. I squirmed just a bit under his movements. My nipples perked at the hardness of his hands, just under where I wanted them desperately to be. The sight and scents of Edward and the feeling of his hands on me, made me feel like I was drunk on _him._ My head felt dizzy, and with his proximity, it caused my breath to hitch. At the same time, he untangled his fingers from my other hand and his long, warm fingers found new purchase at my chin, forcing me to look directly into his eyes.

He bent down to lean down near my face- he was so tall; more than a full foot above me.

So painfully slow. Or maybe it just felt that way.

I closed the remaining distance. I wouldn't be able to say if it were my lips to reach his or if it was vice-versa.

Our lips crashed together in a fury of electric passion and my hand automatically searched for that beautiful mess of bronze colored hair. I grabbed his soft and wavy hair desperately. It felt as if we'd been without each other for ages.

How could it be so easy to feel this comfortable with him? Was it because we'd done intimate things together?

My mouth let out an uncontrolled escaped soft groan. I felt a voltage of pulsing desire that was generated from between our lips. It seemed like our lips belonged pressed together. His tongue entered my mouth at the opening and a grunt escaped from him too. Having always been in public places for the time we'd known each other, we were never able to freely express ourselves this way. Although we'd kissed before, this felt like it should have been our first kiss, it was perfect.

I began thinking that I wouldn't mind having sex there, in the parking lot on the hood of some sexy European car- or maybe, somewhere in the grassy courtyard. I wondered if he was up for having sex in public. Naughty, naughty thoughts filled my mind, so uncharacteristic, but hey, why not? We'd already checked off the mile-high club fantasy.

Despite our physical attraction though, tonight I'd hope to see more of his personality on display and get to know more of him and each other.

When he parted from my lips and the connection continued to buzz in the air, I hoped that we had more than this overwhelming lust.

What if he could read my mind? Would he be repulsed at my thoughts?

_Nah...he's a man._

A grin emerged, a giddy grin—from me.

And him, too.

"What was the favor?"I rapidly stuttered. I had to say something before my true thoughts and feelings rushed out like water from a broken dam. If I hadn't said something, I probably would have asked him to make some magic happen, right here and right now.

_OK. Probably not._

"That," he said, patting my lips and pointing at me. "You."

_This is me officially swooning._

A quick pause and then he continued, "And no, we can't skip the date," he said, shaking his head and his sexy deep and genuine laugh.

A horn beeped and lights flashed from his car, a sleek looking black Audi A5. He opened the door for me, like a true gentleman, and I slipped inside the all-leather interior.

_A sexy ride with a sexy guy._

_*~*~*~YELLOW~*~*~*_

"This is called the Rialto Bridge. Isn't it nice?" Edward asked, his hand ghosting over my waist.

I liked that Edward was very touchy-feely. It made me feel special, like he didn't want to lose any connection or time or distance between us. His hand felt natural there, like we'd been familiar with each other for a while. We peered over the edge of the famous bridge and I let myself take in the stunning beauty of the water below; the Grand Canal.

"This is seriously unreal. It is so beautiful, there aren't words," I said, somehow trying to describe what I was seeing.

The bridge over the canal was surrounded on both sides with lighted rows of shops as far as my eyes could see. We overlooked the busy Grand Canal and saw different types and shapes of boats in the water, some near, others far.

"This bridge was built in the 1500s," Edward pointed out.

I walked around and felt the soft stone wall and took in the beautiful architecture. It looked perfectly handcrafted and weather worn, and I could see the history in it. I walked almost like a child with wonder and newness in my eyes. I could feel Edward following behind me as I felt the hard texture of the stone.

"I'm stunned, just stunned that I'm really here right now," I muttered mainly to myself, as I found a spot in the middle of the bridge to look out from.

"Did you bring your camera?" Edward asked.

"Yes, good idea, I definitely need a picture."

I opened my clutch purse and pulled out the sleek silver digital camera. I snapped two pictures from the bridge, a picture perfect shot of the water and lights.

"I feel like such a tourist."

"Well, you are," Edward said with a laugh.

_Smartass._

"Would you like me to take your picture?" he asked.

"I'd like a picture of both of us," I smiled. I put on my best "please" face. I may have also pouted.

"Sure. I'll take it," he said, taking the camera from my hands.

He positioned an arm around me and stretched his other arm out. The flash blinded us as he snapped the picture. He turned the camera back around to see how it turned out. I peeked at the picture and saw that my face had been cropped out of the photo, but he was very much in the picture. He had terrible aim. His eyes got wide and he arched his eyebrows in the funniest expression.

"Woops." He shrugged before looking me in the eyes and I couldn't help the guffaws that emerged from deep inside me. It was one of those laughs that you immediately feel embarrassed about but couldn't care because it just wouldn't stop.

He turned to look at me like I may have lost my mind, but he couldn't contain the contagious laughter. The laughter passed to him as he too started joining in the laughing.

"Nice aim Edward... vain much?" I managed to make out in between giggles.

"Hey at least I tried," he replied seriously.

We both laughed hysterically with blurry tears in our eyes. In between my laughing fit, I managed to see some snotty woman with a plastic face shooting an evil glance in our direction. We were becoming the loud, stereotypical, American tourists. I couldn't care less though because I was having so much fun.

When we held ourselves together, I took the camera this time, but before I could snap a picture, a man offered to take it.

"Would you like me to take your picture?" an older man holding hands with a woman—and clearly American asked.

"That would be great," I said.

The man smiled at us before taking my camera and Edward grabbed my waist. He pulled me close as the flash of light captured us after our fit of giggles on our first date. The night could have ended there and I'd still have had a fabulous time. We thanked the man and took a look at the picture. We both wore huge genuine smiles. I knew that when I looked at that picture I would always feel the emotions emitting from deep inside. It was a day of excitement, humor, and surrounding beauty.

I was smitten with Italy, with Edward, and with life at that moment.

Edward grabbed my hand again, as we turned to look back at the water below.

"Do you see that station over there? And look at that boat making its way over towards it," he said. I looked to where he had pointed and saw a large boat in the distance.

"Yes, what is that?"

"That's a vaporetto. It's a water bus and it's public transportation."

"Oh, neat. Maybe I'll get to use that sometime."

"You definitely will. And that over there, that's a traghetto."

He pointed to a longish boat, a line of about six people standing in it as it was being rowed across. It looked quite dangerous to me.

"Aren't those called something else, and I thought those had seats? Why would you want to stand up?"

"Well, that is used mainly for a quick trip across. There are seats, but no one really uses them. Those people just want to get to the other side, not enjoy the scenery. Those are mainly used by locals."

"But that over there..." He nodded, pointing the direction with his chin. "That is where we are going next."

I barely was able to gaze long enough before he pulled me to walk. Our hands linked once again and we headed off to wherever our date would take us next.

We ended up near a lighted boat stall and I saw a fancy, brightly colored blue boat sitting in the water. The seats inside were big and roomy and were covered in what looked like black velvet. It looked classy, kind of like a fancy car or limousine. There were no other people around-just us.

"These are what every Italian tourist must experience, and I'm glad that I get to be with you when you experience it."

He signaled for me to wait, and went over to talk with a man, then led me by hand to the boat. He climbed inside first and then gave me a hand as I took it and quickly took a seat. Thank goodness he had manners because the combination of the shortness of my dress and the tallness of my heels could have spelled immediate disaster. I imagined flipping in the boat as soon as my feet hit the inside and wondered if this would be the part of the date that I'd end up wet _for all the wrong reasons._

The boat looked much less dangerous than the one I'd seen earlier, and the seat felt very comfortable. Edward sat down next to me and told me "This is a gondola. You've probably seen these in most of the pictures of Italy."

He leaned over and kissed my temple quickly but sweetly.

"I've set up a private tour; we'll be heading toward the quieter back canals, to a little restaurant where we'll be having dinner."

"Wow, there's more to this date?"

"Of course, what kind of date doesn't include food of some sort?" He laughed. "Plus, dinner is usually served late in Italy."

The two of us and the gondolier were the only occupants in the gondola. As I looked around to the sights around the beautiful water below us, the man began rowing expertly. It was just as I'd seen during my research. I was living it, down to the uniform the man was wearing that I'd seen in countless pictures, and an unexpected surprise-light Italian music playing in the background.

"Bella..."

"Edward..." We both started talking at the same time and laughed at our timing.

"You go first," he said.

"I've got a serious question for you. Now, think very carefully because the way you answer this will tell me if I need to join a psychic network."

I gave him a serious look as his forehead creased in concentration. Also, I couldn't really have a serious conversation without making it into somewhat of a joke, because I was both scared and anxious for his response.

"Okay..." he said, dubiously.

I took a deep breath.

"Now, don't get scared. It's not _really_ a serious question, it's just, I really need to know the truth," I said carefully. He thought I was joking but I couldn't stop thinking about his text message.

"Count me as officially scared, because that's one hell of a warning."

He looked amused and didn't appear to have ounce of nervousness.

_Confident bastard! I want some of that!_

"Why did you tell me that you had an authentic Italian houseboat to show me?"

I folded my hands in my lap and waited for a response. _This should be good_. Why of all the iconic places and/or things to show me in Italy did he say that? What made him say he wanted to show me an authentic houseboat?

He smirked and shook his head.

"I can't tell you."

"What? Why not?"

"Because you're gonna get embarrassed."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

A big exaggerated sigh came from him. I was terrified. What does he know? _Oh, dear, he reads minds?_

"OK, but just to let you know, I didn't think you would remember, and don't say I didn't warn you." He fidgeted in his seat.

"So, you remember before we, uh, when we were on the plane?" he asked, pausing to look at my reaction.

"Yes, go on."

He was stalling.

_I know...I'm an impatient person. _

"Are you sure, you wanna know why I _specifically _said I had a houseboat?"

I threw my hands in the air, shaking my head.

"I give up. I'm never going to know."

"Sorry, I'm just messing with you," he said gently, rubbing my hand.

"Come on already, Edward. I really, _really_ want to know. Otherwise, I won't be able to fall asleep and then...I'll die of sleep deprivation. It's up to you if you want that on your conscience."

I admit, I was being a bit over-dramatic.

He scoffed before continuing, but I didn't miss the gulp and deep breath he took. He looked like he was incredibly embarrassed or nervous. When he finally spoke, his voice was softer.

"OK. Well, on the plane, you fell asleep before I did. At one point you turned your head to my side and I may have heard you mumble some things."

"Mumble some things? Oh dear God...what did I say?" I asked, sounding slightly panicked. He did warn me, but now it was out on the table. I _had_ to know what I had said.

_Do I even want to know? Is it possible I dreamt the same thing on the plane? I don't remember having a dream._

"I will give you a summary, because I don't remember your exact words, but you said something like, 'So they really do have houseboats in Italy? Is this one yours?' I smiled, because I know that they really do exist. But then, about ten minutes later, you were mumbling about the kitchen and deck and then it started..." he paused, making the moment a bit too dramatic for my taste."Then you were moaning 'oh Gods, fucks, oh yes's' and..." He gulped. "'Faster' and 'fuck me harder,'" he said, saying the last words softly and rushed together. I glanced up quickly to see if the guy rowing had heard him.

Oh dear. This was worse than even I could have imagined. Yes, it was true. I liked saying "oh yes" and "oh God" and made unavoidable incomprehensible noises during sex, but I am _so_ not the type to call out directions like that during sex. In my head, yes, but never out loud. Nope, strictly an occasionally 'fuck' or moan only type of girl.

After I was absolutely mortified, panicked, and starting to feel sea sick, I found that I had a voice. I finally let the words escape from my mouth.

"You have got to be kidding me!" I could feel the heat rise in my face as I raised one hand to cover my eyes.

He pulled my hand away to look me square in the eyes.

"I'm sorry I had to tell you, I knew I shouldn't have. Don't be embarrassed, it was just...a dream. And you weren't _that_ loud, it was just, we were sitting so close, it was impossible not to hear you." Edward spoke in an almost timid fashion, like he was truly sorry for having heard me.

There are moments in life when you want to have the world swallow you up. This was one of those times.

_Be right back, I'm just gonna jump off this boat and proceed to sink to the bottom._

"Then I'll just have to jump in and get you."

"I said that out loud?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes tightly and thinking of how much more I could have embarrassed myself in my apparent deep sleep. How the hell did that even happen?

"I didn't say anyone's name, did I?"

"No." I heard the smile in his answer and I wondered if I really did say someone's name.

Either way, I sighed in relief. Maybe I didn't want to know.

After a few moments of silence he leaned a bit closer.

"I didn't know you liked it rough, Bella," he said with a huge smile on his too pretty face, trying to ease the thickness of the night.

I couldn't help but laugh, I mean if it wasn't me, it would be fucking hysterical. And it was. I couldn't help that I sometimes talked when I slept. And as in any situation where I didn't know how to act, I laughed—uncontrollably and unabashedly because this was so ridiculous. I also laughed because hearing him say that to me so close, made me want to take off all of my clothes and see what his definition of rough was.

I heard a mumbled, "Can't wait," before he joined in on the laughter.

_Oh. I see..._

I looked at him with a question on my face, my face turning back to serious, but he pretended to ignore my piercing gaze at him.

"Did you say what I thought you said?"

I couldn't tell if that's just what I wanted to hear him say or if the words were actually uttered. He ignored my question and answered with, "I do own a houseboat though, well OK, it officially belongs to my parents, but I'd love to show you it if you are interested."

"Oh, um. I'm i_nterested_."

"And I didn't want you to blow me off so I had to get your attention by saying that I wanted to show it to you."

I had a perverted mind. "Blow me" and "I wanted to show you," were the words that stood out from that sentence.

I didn't press the issue because I was clearly embarrassed at the turn of the conversation. I wanted to get the focus off my overheard fantasy dream and back to knowing more about Edward.

_*~*~*~YELLOW~*~*~*_

The rest of the ride was pretty mellow as we took in the sounds of the rowing boat and the lights of the buildings. We enjoyed a friendly debate on the best books in American literature. He placed his hand on my thigh and rubbed circles there as he talked.

He had no idea that the movement was driving me wild—or maybe he did—and I had to clench my legs together to keep from straddling him right there in the gondola. Or at least that's what I told myself in my head.

There was something sexy about him understanding the importance of books like _The Catcher in the Rye _and_ To Kill a Mockingbird. _I liked that he could pick out the characters of each book, as if he'd read it yesterday. I kept thinking that talking about books made me sound geeky and I did my best to curtail the conversation, but he held it there and I couldn't help but let my passion for reading spill out in front of him. It was a big part of me and I was learning that he valued it, too. I tried not to compare Edward to other men I'd dated, but I couldn't help it. He was mature, and fun, smart, and sexy.

The conversation turned to my teaching career as books reminded me of why I wanted to be a teacher. My fondness for reading inspired my career. Although I wouldn't be teaching my third grade class about those types of books, they were still inspiring and made me truly value the importance of educating those young minds. I wanted the kids that I taught to be excited to read just as I had when I was younger. I remembered when I was old enough to understand the concept of a library and how I would beg my mom to take me there so I could check out books. It was like I'd hit a goldmine. He said he felt the same. We were so on the same level it was amazing.

And as the boat started traveling down smaller channels, I started to notice the crowds of people getting more sparse as we sat there having a very intellectual conversation. I was overwhelmed at the entirely unique Italian experience.

_*~*~*~YELLOW~*~*~*_

When we had reached our destination, we walked into a dimly lit restaurant. There were candles in centerpieces on each table, adding to a romantic atmosphere inside the establishment. Edward greeted the hostess, a youngish woman, and she ushered us to our seats. She talked in English, but with an accent and was clearly Italian. She gave us our menus and asked for our drink orders.

"Would you like wine, Bella?" Edward asked me politely, while I watched the waitress eye-fuck him.

"I would love some," I replied enthusiastically. No need to say that I was a cheap drunk; it was just a little wine.

"Would you please bring us a bottle of Chianti?" Edward asked the waitress.

I started looking around the restaurant, taking in the other tables and the wall coverings with wide eyes. Even though I wasn't looking at Edward, I felt his gaze on me.

"This is so beautiful! Thank you for bringing me here."

"I'm glad you like it, I like the atmosphere and it's a bit different from some of the noisier touristy type restaurants."

The waitress came back with a rounded bottom bottle in a little straw basket and two wine glasses. She served the first two glasses and said she would be back shortly for our order.

"So what do you suggest?" I asked, because I was literally looking at a menu completely written in Italian.

"Would you like something like pasta or do you want to be experimental?" he said before taking a long sip of wine. I watched his lips as they parted for the liquid and how his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

_Of all things Holy. He even drinks sexy. _

The only thing I remembered when doing my research was that there were regional cuisines in different parts of Italy. I remembered when Alice called me crying one day, saying that she ate _Thumper_. Rabbit meat. It was funny at the time, but I didn't want to eat something that was going to upset my stomach. I wasn't really ready to try something to radical or eat something I had no intention of ever trying.

I frowned, crinkling my forehead in concentration.

"Alice told me once that her husband, Jasper, tricked her into trying rabbit, because she was unwilling to try it before. She said it was good but she got sick later after Jasper confessed it was rabbit meat. Also, I don't want to eat frog legs, or escargot. So to recap, if it's not beef, chicken, fish, or pasta, please don't make me try it."

He laughed at me, like belly shaking laughter, except Edward didn't have a belly, I'd felt it. It was rock hard.

"What? I don't want to eat anything too crazy. I like familiarity. Is that wrong?" I said, with wide eyes.

"Wrong? No... I'll order something that you can easily identify," he stated confidently, with a wink.

A fucking wink.

"I've had the Trenette al pest and it's great. It's pasta. You OK with that?"

"I trust your judgment in food—make me proud." I nodded.

The waitress came back and completely ignored me, speaking only to Edward. He ordered the meals for both of us. The food came in three courses and we enjoyed the food and wine and talked, laughed, and enjoyed a continuation of our book and career talk from earlier. I was reminded that he would be here for the entire summer, until the end of August, while I would be heading back to the great state of Washington in just under four weeks, in early July. It made me think of time and distance and how that could possibly work. I would eventually have to think of that if the date continued well, but today was about many firsts. My first real venture into the city, my first gondola ride, and my first date with Edward.

I also found out more about his job. He was the head of the financial department for their company, Cullen Group, which had three offices in Europe: Amsterdam, Venice and London. I found he graduated from the university in exactly four years and always came back to Italy during summers, because it was the busiest time of year for their company. He said he was always kept busy with meetings and viewing presentations and other day-to-day operations and duties of his job. He ended the career conversation by stating that he made time for play, too.

I smiled at that. _Oh, can I play too?_

As I was taking a break from the food and sipping on my wine, Edward shifted the conversation, stating he didn't really want to talk about work.

"So, is there anything you are like dying to do, now that you are in Italy? You know, besides see my houseboat."

Of course, I was taking a sip of wine at that point and the wine entered down harshly and I ended up coughing while trying to clear the liquid. I silently thanked the heavens that I did not spit out the drink through my nose or mouth. I'd rather choke over spraying my drink all over our food. He patted my back as I tried to stop the relentless choking cough.

When I found words, I choked out, "I'm so sorry for that. But is this gonna be the running joke now?"

"I'm sorry. It's just so...easy."

"Well, you can't joke about that unless you are willing to fulfill my fantasy."

That was the wine talking. I knew this because I meant to say that in my head. I was finishing my third glass, and I was a total lightweight.

He arched an eyebrow.

"And what fantasy would that be?"

We were getting into dangerous territory, my mind screamed at me.

_Please shut up, Please shut up,_ was the mantra going on in my mind.

"How about I tell you when you take me?"

I compromised, because I had already let something slip out.

"Okay."

He tapped his chin as a smile slowly spread across his lips. "You ready?"

"Check please!" I exclaimed a little too loudly.

A dark-haired Italian woman a table over looked at me with an annoyed glare.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that so loud," I said to the woman, drawing more unneeded attention to myself.

Yes. That was definitely the wine talking. Or maybe it was just my mind and heart taking charge of the situation?

Regardless of the amount of alcohol in my body, I would take this as another step in the right direction for my courage.

_*~*~*~YELLOW~*~*~*_

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**A/N: I was told that for every review I receive, an Angel gets their wings. ** **What do we think about the reveal of the houseboat? Bella and Edward's chemistry? Tell me your thoughts!  
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Chapter 3 visuals such as Bella's hair, dress and visuals of the Grand Canal and Rialto Bridge, can be found here: http:/ / acomh(dot)blogspot(dot)com/

Bella survived her first date without falling into the canal. But you can't hide from embarrassment. Phew!

I guess I'm a cock-blocker. . . but, I've got some citrus "cumming" next chapter. Let's see if Bella wants it slow and sensual or hard and fast, will she speak up? Will it be romantic or will there be some sort of mishap?

THANK YOU READERS! I appreciate you taking the time out to recommend, review and set your alerts and favorites. It's amazing every single time I see a new one. By the way, some of you have your PM's disabled and I was unable to thank you and send you a sneak peak, so thank you!

Hope to see you next chapter: _**Pink Colored Heart.** Pink represents: Romance, sweetness, stimulating energy and can increase heartbeat and pulse rate. Pink also attracts action and confidence._

_A very special THANK YOU to LovelyBrutal for her editing and pre-reader skills. You can find her story on my profile under favorite stories/authors._

THANK YOU to nobi_fawkes & CXC at PTB!_  
_

**With love from Texas ya'll,**

**xoxo**

**Lo**


	4. Pink Colored Heart

**Stephenie Meyer had an epic dream, she owns all Twilight. I'm just playing with the characters.  
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**This story is M. This chapter contains sexual content.  
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**Chapter 4: Pink Colored Heart**

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_Pink represents: Romance, sweetness, stimulating energy and can increase pulse and heartbeat. Pink also attracts action and confidence._

_*~*~*~PINK~*~*~*_

"No shit? Really? You're really going to show me the houseboat now? It's like 10 already," I said in a much lowered voice.

Ms. Stink Eye kept shooting me annoyed glances. I felt really bad about disturbing her dinner with my loud, excited outburst, but it wasn't that disruptive. I tried to ignore her, but she was burning an imaginary hole in my head.

_What is the universal symbol for back-off?_

I scratched the side of my head with my middle finger, hoping she'd get the picture. I chanced a sideways glance and saw that she was suddenly interested in her food again.

"Yes. Really, I actually haven't had a chance to check on the houseboat yet. I'm staying at our main house. I can show you around and make sure the housekeeper has been keeping up with the cleanliness."

So, it was set. I was going to see his fucking houseboat. Sure, it wasn't exactly like the dream. It wouldn't be our honeymoon, but I could feel that the night would be magical. I was also going to have to confess my fantasy, but maybe he'd forget that part of the deal.

After I blurted out that we needed the check, the waitress took her time in returning. It wasn't until about ten minutes later, and another half glass of wine, that she finally came to check on us.

Before we left, we had a tug-of-war over how the bill was going to be paid. I told him I was sure the gondola was expensive since we were the only passengers. I felt like I should at least be able to treat him to dinner. He refused to allow me to pay. Since we'd never get out of there if I didn't just give in, I did. I liked that he was a bit old-fashioned, and I found that to be very charming.

When the bill had been paid, we both stood from our seats. It was at that moment that I began to feel a bit...off balance.

_Maybe I stood up too fast?_

It seemed that my feet were not cooperating with my brain, and I tripped.

"Stupid floor, my heel got stuck in a crack," I fibbed, blaming an imaginary defect in the dark colored bamboo floors.

I used my hands to steady myself on the back of the chair and the table. I wasn't even embarrassed by my trip-up. I'd done it before, and that was without the help of liquor. I had more important things on my mind tonight.

Me.

Edward.

Naked.

Houseboat.

Edward looked down in the direction toward the offending floor. I grabbed his hand, linking his delicious long fingers in mine and pulled him forward. He needed to move so that he wouldn't see that it actually wasn't the floor's fault.

"Wait. Are you tipsy on two glasses of wine?" Edward asked. "Maybe we should postpone our-"

"No! Of course I'm not tipsy, you silly," I said, with a poke on his chest.

_Yes I am. I totally am. _

But, I was not flat-out drunk. I had the fuzzy buzzed feeling that took the edge off and made me bold and not shy about my opinions. So what if I was a little off balance? I felt fine, and I was beyond happy.

"And, I had thr—no four glasses, thank you."

"I think you are," he laughed, in reference to my tipsiness as we walked outside into the night.

We took a taxi back to his car, and I was surprised when he spoke Italian to the driver; another revelation I hadn't expected.

"I took Italian in high school and college," he explained. "I knew it would be helpful for our company."

The sexual tension in the confines of the dark car thickened as I stared out of the car window and saw the reflection of Edward's glorious face in the window. The city lights passed in blurs of whites and blues on either side of the car as the mix of the alcohol and speed of the car made me dizzy. The driver was a speed demon. We giggled as he came really close to other cars and honked his horn—frequently. It was probably because the wine made us feel good, and we didn't see the danger. As the moonlight peeked in from the back of the car, Edward played with my fingers, and we shared shy glimpses of each other. We stayed fairly quiet on the ride back to his car. I had run out of words to say, as the thoughts running rampant in my mind were quite sobering.

_What the hell am I doing?_

_*~*~*~PINK~*~*~*_

When I thought back to the dream I had right before going on the plane, I had a certain image of how a houseboat was supposed to look. I couldn't remember if I'd seen a picture during my research or if it was just totally made up. I still needed to Google it.

Seeing it in front of me, it was not at all as I expected.

"This is just…Wow. This is a houseboat? I mean, I know it's sitting on the water, but it looks just like a house!"

_Err...yeah that's probably why they call them houseboats, Ms. Rocket Scientist._

"Yes, this is it. We've had it for three years now. It's actually relatively small compared with some of the others around here. This is a two-bedroom, but I've seen much larger."

The houseboat was two levels. It had a light blue exterior and red beams and railing on the top level. My eyes scanned for the deck. _Fantasy sign number one._ There was one on the bottom level, but it wasn't very wide. Even better, staring up, this one had a deck on the top level. There would be less chance of tripping into the water and drowning. This was excellent news.

The house was docked in an area with several other houseboats. They all looked expensive and modern and were about the same distances apart from other typical land neighborhoods. One of the houseboats to the left of his was almost all glass and really modern looking. It was also two levels and brightly lit up, but there was no movement or other signs that it was currently occupied. The one on the other side also looked nice, but it was all dark.

Edward's houseboat looked very homey, yet it had modern touches, clean lines and sharp angles on the outside. I noticed that most of the windows were open, and some didn't have window coverings. The deck area had tons of potted and hanging plants all in great condition, so I knew someone had to have been taking care of the property. The water below the home was calm, but there was a bit of a ripple of waves in the water, and it had a beautiful view of infinite surrounding water.

Edward's arm linked in mine as we walked the rest of the length down the dock and neared the entry door. Once in front of the door, he fumbled with his keys in the darkness looking through about eight different gold and silver keys until he found the right one.

My heart accelerated as I heard the key unlock the door. Before turning the knob, Edward looked back at me with a sexy grin.

"Are you going to tell me now?"

I played dumb.

"Tell you what?"

"Oh, okay. Well, if you aren't going to tell me, we might as well just turn back around, and-"

"Yes," I said, while nervously biting my bottom lip.

"Great. Can't wait," he said with a wink.

Before opening the door, he leaned down and gave me a hard, passionate kiss that was over in only about three beats. My eyes stayed closed for a second longer as I felt the loss of his lips. My breath was literally taken away.

"Wow. Thanks," I said.

_Yes, I thanked him for kissing me. I'm so lame._

"Welcome to our house, Bella."

In my slight buzz, and for just a moment, I misunderstood the word, "our" house to mean his and mine. I was momentarily puzzled as I remembered my dream and how those would be the perfect words to say on our honeymoon.

_One step at a time, Bella._

That, though, was not what he meant. This was his _family's_ house.

The door opened, and Edward flicked the switch to illuminate the first room with a soft yellow light. He walked inside, leading me by hand as he closed the door. It revealed a good-sized living area with neutral beige-colored walls. The room was neat and orderly, and a clean fresh citrus scent filled the air. Someone was definitely taking care of the house.

A brown leather sectional sofa filled with bunches of red and tan swirled patterned pillows fit perfectly inside the room. A glass coffee table was placed in front of the sofa, and there were two matching glass side tables with brightly colored Tiffany lamps on top.

"It's beautiful," I said looking around the room in awe.

In the silence, my heels' echoing on the light colored oak hardwood floor was the only sound in the room. I took another few cautious steps forward, waiting for Edward to lead. The bottom level of the house was long, but spacious. There were at least two or three windows on each wall that were covered in white window shears, and I could feel the bay breeze from the outside, cooling the inside of the home. From the entrance, I could also see a little all-glass room that had a steering wheel and controls and was all that prevented this from being a land-locked home. It reminded me that that this was something special, unique, and something I'd never seen before.

I thought I might get sea-sick standing inside, but it felt normal, just like a regular house would.

"I need to do a quick look-through, but after, you promised you would tell me..."

"Yes, of course," I said as confidently as I could. I started desperately thinking of a fib. What the hell would be another fantasy in a houseboat? Driving it? _Pssh! Lame!_ I needed more time to think of something else. But, my mind was drunk on Edward, Italy, and literally altered by wine. I was going to have to confess. It didn't mean we had to act on it. It was just words. A fantasy, I reminded myself.

"This is obviously the living room," Edward said, pointing around the entry room.

"Wow, it looks so modern in here, but I can tell it still has nice Italian touches."

"Some of the furniture was included when we got it, so a lot of it is from Italy. My mom, Esme, loves interior design. She decorated this place. In fact, she had some new furniture for the living room and bedrooms delivered about six months ago, but my parents still haven't seen it yet. This is a first for me, too. I like what she's picked so far."

I nodded but didn't say anything. I was focused on the word, _bedrooms_.

Following his lead, I walked with him to the kitchen area where there were two small steps up. Standing in the kitchen, it appeared as if the area we had entered was actually a sunken living room. In the kitchen, brand name stainless steel appliances took center stage. It looked like a chef's kitchen down to the high-end marble counters.

Behind the kitchen, I saw stairs leading to the second level.

He walked to the fridge and opened it, peeking inside.

"We have beer and sodas in here. Would you like something to drink?" he offered.

"No, thanks," I politely declined.

He closed the door slowly and took a step toward me.

"Bella, are you sure you want to do _this_?" Edward asked me. His abrupt shift from being a polite host to asking this serious question caught me off guard.

"I was really teasing you at the restaurant. I understand if you want to go slow. I like you too much to mess things up. And if you're not ready, I completely understand."

Without actually saying the words, he wanted to know if being here with him would be innocent or if we were about to take the next step.

"Do you want to know what my fantasy is, right now?" I blurted out.

A smile crept up on Edward's face as he nodded. I could not believe what I was working myself up to say. The mood was just too serious. He was just too serious.

"We have a little less than four weeks to get to know each other. I already know that I want you—sexually." I paused and gulped.

"I think you are extraordinarily good looking, but beyond that, I'm turned on by what you have inside."

I tapped his chest near where his heart was, and it felt like my own heart skipped a beat. Words just flowed naturally as if the wine gave me the confidence to display my heart on my sleeve.

"I really like your personality, your cockiness, your humor, your love of good books, and your playful side. I want it all."

I inhaled with a shaky, deep breath. I was about to continue to what my ultimate fantasy with _him_ would be, but he spoke instead.

"Bella, I think _you _are incredibly beautiful and sexy. And you are so intelligent. You have a way of getting and keeping my attention. I want to hear what your opinions are. And, you're funny, too. I don't know if you know that. I also really love that you have a career that drives your passion for learning."

Edward leaned down; eyes focused on mine, and pressed his forehead to mine.

"You turn _me_ on, Bella. I want you so fucking bad," he said with a wavering voice and an intake of air.

"But, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. We can wait. I'm not ashamed to say that I already adore you. I just can't stop thinking about you. You have been on my mind constantly since we've met. I...I don't want you to be out of mind. "

It all happened so fast. This rushed conversation that went from questioning what we were doing, to just confessing our feelings. It started to turn to pure, raw desire. There was a change in the atmosphere, the curtains even shifted, giving a slight chill to the air. I knew what I wanted to do. If I was being slutty or whatever someone might say, I couldn't care less.

I fisted the top part of his shirt and pulled him closer to me. He leaned in to kiss me, but I stopped him with a finger to his pouty lips.

"I feel the same way. I don't care anymore. I don't care what the fucking rules are or what order people should do things. I want you to fuck me, Edward. Right here in your houseboat. That's my fantasy."

_Holy shit! It was definitely the wine talking. _

My fantasy was out in the open. I was suddenly terrified. I watched his eyes go from amusement at my choice of language to surprise and then back to desire. Maybe it wasn't exactly like I'd dreamed, but it was close. I'd love to break in every room, just like in my dream.

With those seductive words hanging in the air, Edward was happy to begin the process of obeying.

In one swift motion, Edward's lips were on mine, sweet and slow. I matched his speed as we moved our heads, and the quietness of the room was interrupted by our unsteady breaths and soft kissing sounds. With one hand still fisting his shirt, I pulled him closer, pulling it roughly. I wanted to be fucked. Hard. I wanted this to fulfill my ultimate fantasy. He was my dream man in that moment. I didn't want to be able to walk right for days after because of the intensity. I wanted, when we finished, to try to walk, but have my legs feel like they were noodles.

I felt his muscular arms around my waist, and I rubbed my other hand over his arm, guiding his hands to keep a steady hold of my body. I moved my hands back to the sides of his face. I took turns holding on with both hands on his face, and moving from the back of his head, to pulling on his shirt. Our lips continued to crash together against each other, more frenzied than before in a fury of kisses as our hands drifted to new places on each other's bodies. He lowered his hands and felt my ass over my dress, applying pressure and a squeeze. A low moan escaped his mouth, and I matched his sound with my own. The sensations were overwhelming as I seemed to focus on one result: Edward. The feeling of his hands on my body, his body, his scent, and I was intoxicated with feeling him, breathing him.

He lifted me up onto the counter, the _cold_ counter, and even at that height he didn't have to bend much. My lips quickly parted as he expertly moved his tongue to meet mine. My hand still gripped at his shirt, desperate for what was underneath. My other was mixed up in his soft hair. I met his graceful, yet passionate tongue, and we explored each other first with kisses that alternated between lips and tongues. When he came up for air, the kisses on my face came down to a kiss on my ear, a small tug of my ear lobe with his teeth, and then he lowered his mouth down to the sides of my neck where he bit and sucked and kissed on my neck. Goosebumps began their knowing trail. I felt them creep up on my arms, and a shiver ran down my spine.

With our lips apart, I focused on taking off his jacket and tossed it lazily on the kitchen floor with a light thud. I worked my shaky hands over his shirt buttons. I felt like I had opened a gift. It was a rock hard gift of a mostly smooth upper chest. My gaze lowered as I saw a bit of dark hair leading to that special v shape on his lower body which was just barely peeking out from his low slung pants. He watched my expression as I ogled him, and I pulled that shirt right off him, feeling his chest with both of my hands.

He hiked up my dress to my waist, then lowered himself to lick and kiss his way up one of my legs. I felt a shiver of excitement spark its way as he neared my center. I arched my back as he rubbed my leg while he kissed upwards and left a wet trail from where his mouth had been. He continued until he worked his way toward my thigh, and I grew more excited from each kiss closer to my aching core.

"Bella," Edward moaned. He traced my panties with his hand, his mouth quivered and I arched my back at the feeling of his hands so near.

"You are so fucking hot."

Although he was not referring to my actual body temperature, I knew it had risen. My legs felt like they were on fire from where Edward had touched me. He pulled the dress up over my head, and I sat there, exposed. I wore a pink strapless bra and low-rise pink, lacey, cheekies and strappy silver heels. It was as if I were a porn star; I felt incredibly sexy. I didn't have sex with heels on—ever. Yet, here I was, willing and wanting to have him fuck me on the counter. He looked at me with a wicked smile. I loved that smile.

"You are absolutely perfect," he said, so softly that I didn't know if I had heard him correctly. He reached behind my back with one hand and tugged, and my bra dropped down next to me, exposing my breasts. I didn't have time to feel self-conscious, as his mouth and hands quickly covered me. I gripped his muscular shoulders and lightly drug my nails onto his skin as my head dropped back on its own, riding a wave of excitement.

"Mmm, Edward," I panted as he took one of my breasts in his mouth, circling it with his tongue and sucking lightly.

I could feel the wetness forming inside me as he moved one of his hands down to my panties. He didn't neglect the area as he traced them lightly. He kissed me again but kept his hands in between my legs. Our kissing became more frantic, and I began moaning at the way he made me feel. He continued rubbing circles on the outside of my panties, and I couldn't contain the loud moaning that came out of me. He hadn't even taken my panties off, and I felt like I would cum any given moment. The closeness of his hands and the teeny piece of fabric was shielding me from feeling him fully on me. My legs were draped over the edge of the counter, but he pulled me forward some more until I was at the very edge.

He pushed his bulge onto my leg, and I suddenly realized that he needed to drop some clothes, too. I quickly unbuttoned his pants, and he stepped out of them. He also toed out of his shoes and socks. He wore black boxer briefs. His cock was prominent, but he didn't let me touch. He went back to grip my panties and it was all about me in the moment. He slowly pulled my panties, feeling behind me as he pulled them down. I wanted to just push the damn things off, he was going so slowly. His hands working my panties all the way down my legs while he tantalizingly touched every inch of me felt incredibly sexy. I knew men were visual creatures, so I could imagine doing that must have been a turn-on for him. When the last article of clothing was gone, I sat there, heart racing, hungrily gasping for him. It took only a few moments for Edward's mouth to meet the pink lips in between my legs. He kissed me there, and I could feel his wet tongue drinking me in as his warm breath took in my scent. I screamed high pitched disjointed sounds, pushing my hips forward. After feeling my insides with his tongue, he pushed one and two fingers inside, massaging my clit with the other hand. He curved his fingers inside, and I couldn't help but scream again.

"Ahhh! Edward! Yes!"

He knew where that ecstasy button was. His lips and tongue were back in place, and he began a steady pace of licking and kissing and fingering as I panted and grunted with the shifting of my hips. I went from arching my back to running my hands through his hair as he moved his head and mouth while a consistent "Mmmm" and "Uhhs" from both of us escaped until I was heading to the edge of the cliff.

"That's it baby, come for me," he said with words vibrating off of my body.

And I did. Under a blanket of curses, I came loud and hard.

"Fuckin'! Mmm! Ahhhh! Ed! Ward!"

He came back up to my face, kissing me as I caught my breath and breathed into his mouth.

He smiled, almost proudly.

"Did you like that?" he asked.

"It was amazing," I answered out of breath with a smile.

"How about we check out some of the other rooms, Pinky? I know it's not comfortable here," he said.

"Pinky?"

"That's my favorite color on you. Pink underwear, pink bra, the pinkness when you blush, and your pink sex."

"Oh..." I said, demonstrating his favorite color by blushing. He pulled off my heels and helped me off the counter. He led me by hand upstairs, naked. My legs were already shaking, and I was already ready to go again.

_*~*~*~PINK~*~*~*_

Upstairs, there was another long hall with two rooms and a door to the balcony area. He opened up the first bedroom, and there was a queen size bed with a copper bedframe. There was a small closet and what looked like a door to a bathroom. The windows had no coverings, and the screens from the windows let in the slight breeze from outside. I could see the moon and the water surrounding us. The light in the room was not completely dark and it wasn't completely bright, we could still see each other. It was absolute perfection.

"How about in here?"

I answered with a hard, confident kiss to his mouth. He pushed me gently down on the bed. I grabbed for his cock because I wanted desperately to see how it looked free from the confines of his black boxer briefs. I pushed them down, and he pulled them the rest of the way off. His cock seemed to spring forward. It was larger than I even remembered.

_Holy! How the hell was that going to fit inside of me?_

I attempted to sit back up so I could get my mouth around it, but he pushed me back down.

"I need to get the condom. I'll be right back."

He ran outside of the room, and I lay there, stunned, willing, open, ready, waiting. His cute ass was the last glance I got before he bolted out like the house was on fire. When he returned, he already had the condom on. He shut the door with a kick of his foot.

"Are you sure, Bella?"

"Yes, please. Just fuck me, Edward," I begged.

He pushed my legs apart with his knees and hovered above me. I felt his hardness as he came back up to my face and kissed me, letting his body fall on mine gently. He lifted himself up, lined up his cock, and slowly eased himself inside of me. I gasped at the feeling of him entering me and how it turned from foreign to pleasurable.

He entered me and I almost felt as if my body seemed to have shifted some organs to fit inside me. I had been without sex for a while, so although I knew how I wanted it, I was glad he took his time. Once I relaxed to the full feeling, he started gently sliding with soft and controlled movements. But I quickly got the feeling that I could handle it the way I really wanted it.

_Fuck that._

"Edward, I want it fast and rough, baby. Don't hold back."

I surprised myself. Might as well fulfill my true fantasy, this already felt like a dream.

I needed him desperately, and I was impatient. I wanted him. All of him. I wanted a mind-blowing orgasm.

With a bite of my breast and neck, he heard my directions loud and clear. Above me, he grunted and hit the right spot in long, hard thrusts that made me gasp each time he was fully inside. I desperately grasped his back, wanting to feel the closeness and passion. Even though it wasn't slow and sensual love making, I still felt the connection between us. He would stop the roughness every now and again and we'd kiss, whatever was closest, my breasts, his neck and my neck. But it was never sloppy, it just felt right. He knew what he was doing, and made things that more intimate. After grabbing his ass, my legs automatically wrapped around him and every shifting movement made me feel new sensations.

"Yes!"

"Oh God!"

"Mmmm!"

"Do you like that?" Edward growled while grabbing one of my breasts, he continued my preferred speed of hard and fast.

"Yes! Yes! Just like that baby," I moaned.

He lifted me a bit off of the bed so that he was hitting me in longer, deeper, thrusts and had a better grasp of my ass.

"Oh God!" I felt the beginnings of an orgasm coming and I desperately tried to control myself. I wanted more; I wanted to last longer.

I saw a bead of sweat on his face, and I lifted my hands to wipe it; he was working me hard. It was hot, and we were both becoming sweaty. The cool of the room was being replaced with a hot, humid air, the smell of sex, and our mixing scents. The room was filled with grunts and moans and the sound of our bodies molding to each other combined with the sounds of the bed creaking.

"Yes! Yes!" I yelled out as he continued to pleasure me with each movement.

He moved my legs to a new position above his head, pulling both of my legs up over his shoulders. My legs dangled there as he continued to thrust, and I felt more and more new sensations. I began to feel my legs shake.

_Shit. I should have done some stretching exercises before the date. I was definitely going to be sore in the morning. But that's what I wanted._

We shifted positions, and it was back to missionary with him on top. He gave two more hard thrusts. I couldn't control my orgasm any longer. I let out a loud scream as I came with my inside walls tightening around his cock, and I experienced the most powerful orgasm I'd ever felt. Edward sounded like he was getting close.

And that's when it happened. I heard it first. A crack.

_Oh shit, he broke his fucking cock._

But no, another hard thrust later, "Oh God! Bella!" he moaned, giving in to his orgasm. His eyes were closed and I enjoyed the sight of pleasure and satisfaction on his face.

The bed then suddenly caved in as he moved quickly to release from me. In literally seconds, we were basically trapped in what looked like a mattress taco in the middle of the bed. We were just squished in an awkward position with arms and legs entangled.

"What the hell just happened?" Edward asked laughing. I could feel his heart beating, as we were pressed together.

"You were great," I said to him. "I can't believe we broke the bed."

We laughed. But then it started to turn to panic once we realized that we were packed in very tightly in a ridiculously unbelievable situation. After what felt like forever of fighting with the mattresses, I managed to wiggle myself out. Edward lifted and pushed one of the mattresses off of me enough to get out. I then helped Edward by pulling on his arms and the mattress as he pushed and pulled himself. Once we were both standing, we erupted in laughter there in our birthday suits.

As we chuckled at the mangled remains of the bed and of our situation, a knock on the bedroom door interrupted us. We stood in stunned silence and stillness. I grabbed Edward's hand for support. Someone else was on the other side of the door.

What worse could possibly happen?

It was not the type of knock that sounded like it would wait for a response. It was the kind of knock that meant the door was about to open no matter what.

The person on the other side didn't wait for an answer. I watched in shock as the door knob twisted, and the door swung partially open. We didn't have time for reaction to grab for anything to cover ourselves. The bed was a mangled mess of mattresses and bed sheets that were too tight to even attempt to get loose. Edward's only article of clothing, his underwear, was nowhere to be seen.

A stunning blonde haired, blue eyed woman peeked inside the room cautiously, catching both of us, hands together stark naked right next to the broken bed. Then there was a loud scream from her.

"Oh my God! Edward, why are you here? What the hell happened to the bed? I thought you were a fucking squatter who broke inside the house!" she screamed.

I hid behind Edward as he tried awkwardly covering himself with his hands.

_Who is this beautiful woman who knew Edward's name?_

With my only clothing downstairs, there was nothing else to do than to hide behind Edward and wait for a response.

"Rosalie, get the fuck out!" he shouted.

They obviously knew each other, and I was worried.

"Gladly!"

But another voice bellowed from the hall. "Rosalie! What's wrong? I told you not to come up by yourself!"

From behind Edward, I peeked to see a tall guy with black hair and a big, muscular body walk completely inside the room.

"Edward, what is...oh." He trailed off his response after seeing me behind him. I quickly averted my eyes.

"It was you? I didn't see your car."

"Get the hell out, Emmett! What the hell are _you two_ doing here? I thought you were coming next week?" Edward yelled.

He gripped my hand tightly; protectively. He was clearly annoyed at this guy and girl he had called Emmett and Rosalie.

"We got here early. I've sent you several text messages. The neighbor said he heard yelling, and they knew no one had been here in months. Dad told me to come check it out, and we'll uh...have this conversation later once you are dressed. We'll go outside for a few minutes so you can get yourselves together."

The door was quickly closed.

On the other side of it, Emmett spoke to a man with a heavy accent.

"Is everything all right?"

"It was a false alarm. Thank you for coming, officer."

We heard the voices drift away. With all of our passionate sexing we didn't hear them enter the house.

"Oh my God, Edward! Were we that loud?"

He took his hands and lifted them to the sides of my face and kissed me with gusto.

"I'm so sorry for all this, Bella. So sorry."

And with that, he left me there by myself in a now silent room, naked. I stood there, leg quivering from the intensity of our fuck session and lip quivering from the whole wacky situation. _Why did he leave me alone?_

When he came back with our clothes, I was fighting to hold back the tears at the very edge of my eyes.

"What's wrong, Pinky?" He said, gently closing the door. I was sure he'd seen my watery eyes.

"Who are those people? I'm so fucking embarrassed," I whispered.

He closed the distance in a few steps and pulled his arms around me in a much needed hug.

"It's okay," he said softly. "It's just my brother and his wife."

_Oh, fabulous. I just met his family, stark naked._

The tears that were threatening to escape did just that. A light trail of tears flowed onto Edward's chest as I moved in closer and let him hold me. He gently moved my hair out of the way, and placed a soft kiss on my temple before pulling me into an even closer comforting embrace.

I knew that someday this would be a funny story of our first date, but at that moment, it was beyond embarrassing for me. I had gone through so many emotions throughout our date. It began with nervousness, happiness, excitement, boldness, ultimate pleasure, release, and ended with humiliation. I'd seen beauty and experienced things I never would have imagined, I'd even literally played out my fantasy. I was vocal in what I wanted and had a blast, but this wasn't the ending I had anticipated.

I wanted to stay in this room with my naked body pressed up against his in a gentle, caring, comforting grip. I wanted to stay in his arms and hide and not have to deal with other people's questions. I knew that I wouldn't be able to look his brother and sister-in-law in their eyes.

As I let the tears stream out silently, I started feeling a pain in my legs and arms. I lifted my head a bit to look at Edwards arms around me and saw the black and blue outlines of what appeared to be bruises forming, probably from the struggle to get out of the two thick mattresses. He studied my face with concern in his eyes. On my body, I also noticed two large bruises forming on my legs. Edward seemed to see the bruises at the same time as me. But he saw something else.

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

"You have a huge hickey on your neck."

He looked really concerned with his sad eyes and creased forehead but that was the least of our worries. I looked up from my glossy eyes and knew then that the world wouldn't stop spinning because I was embarrassed. I managed a half-smile.

Bed breaking, hickey making, concerned Edward was definitely a keeper, but first we had to get out of this mess and face the music.

_*~*~*~PINK~*~*~*_

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** I was told that reviewing this chapter would fix the endless Fanfiction problems. =) Please leave me your review. Dear readers, are you all still here with me? Let me know! What do we think of this pink chapter and Bella's nickname? How will Bella overcome? **

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**A/N:** THANK YOU Readers! I'm so happy at the number of alerts, reviews, and favorites I've received. They mean so much to me and help me keep this story going. Keep them coming!

THANK YOU! LovelyBrutal, for your eyes in pre-reading and editing.

THANK YOU! piperann, Modsweetishbubble,LoriAnnTwiFan from PTB!

Self Pimping, I recently won my second anonymous contest for my story, **My Little Dove**. It's a tear-jerker. Would love to hear what you think about that story, it's in my profile.

Next chapter is: **Green Colored Heart.** Green represents: Soothing, relaxing-both mentally and physically, helps alleviate nervousness and anxiety and offers a sense of renewal , self control and harmony. We are going to start picking up the time pace, several days.

Visuals for this chapter will be up later, you can find the link also on my profile.

**-~*Lo*~**


	5. Green Colored Heart

**Stephenie Meyer owns everything that is Twilight.**

**This chapter contains a LEMON; that means this is intended for mature readers.**

FYI's for this chapter:

*Dimmi come vi piace. = Tell me how you like it.

*La mia bella, venuto per me. = My beautiful, come for me.

*Grazie = Thank You.

Condoms will always be used unless specifically advised otherwise. (lol!)

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**Chapter 5: Green Colored Heart**

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Green represents: Soothing and relaxing-both mentally and physically, helps alleviate nervousness and anxiety and offers a sense of renewal, self-control and harmony.

_*~*~*~GREEN~*~*~*_

Edward wiped the lingering tears from my eyes with one hand. He matched my cautious smile and then pulled me again toward him into a firm hug. I had felt so safe and comforted in his arms that the anxiety seemed to ease out of my body in little waves. We both had to face the people downstairs.

Instead of spooning after sex, he'd had to calm my frayed nerves and wipe tears from my face. We may not have had the chance to fall asleep next to each other and wake up to waves and filtered sunlight, but somehow it felt right. This had been the wildest day I'd ever had, ever.

"How big is the hickey?" I said into Edward's smooth and toned chest. I looked up into his eyes, pulling away slightly.

"Um,very big?"

"And you do realize we both have bruises on our body right?" I asked with a low voice, not really sure if his main concern was the hickey or the bruises.

"I'm so sorry for that," he said, with concerned eyes. He pulled me away to see the bruises now displayed in black and blue shades on my legs and upper arms.

"Wow, this doesn't look good—at all," he said with a shaking head.

"You have no reason to be sorry, it wasn't your fault. We do have bruises all over our bodies, I have a huge ass hickey, and your brother and sister-in-law have seen me mostly naked."

_I am definitely a glass half-empty girl._

"We can do this, Pinky. It's not that big of a deal; I think I mostly shielded you anyway," he said.

I like that he seemed to be a glass half-full guy.

"That's easy for you to say; your brother has probably seen you naked before," I said, shaking my head.

"Um yeah, when I was way younger, and Rosalie definitely hasn't," Edward said, shrugging. He handed me back my clothes, and I quickly slipped into my panties and bra. I tossed my dress onto the mangled bed and headed into the bathroom to clean myself up.

In the bathroom, under the harsh, bright light, I viewed my reflection in the mirror. The first thing I noticed was the hickey. Big, huge even, in black and purple. It looked as if there were two hickeys that merged into one. Other than that, I looked like a complete, hot, wreck. My hair was a mess of bunched up sex hair and lost, flattened curls. I had smallish bruises on my arms and two larger ones on my legs. _I can't believe I have to meet his family like this!_ Feeling like chicken-shit, I prayed that they would just leave. I would love to meet them, but I'd prefer if it was when I actually looked presentable. I tried my best to get presentable but without makeup to try and conceal the marks, and a curling iron, there was only so much I could do. I fanned myself with my hand, frustrated with my appearance. I let myself shed a few tears from sheer terror as I worked on trying to salvage my hair and makeup.

When I returned, he was already fully dressed. He was finishing up by buttoning his shirt. All he was missing was his blazer and shoes.

"You are so beautiful," he told me as I walked timidly out of the bathroom. _Why didn't I bring my dress with me?_ I was trying to display confidence by walking around in my underwear like I was comfortable, but under his gaze, inside, I felt self-conscious and didn't know if that came across.

"I feel really bad about ruining this night," he stated.

"No. Please. You didn't ruin it. I had a great time," I said with a wave of my hand and a warm blush I felt creeping into my cheeks. I'd never been complimented so much in my life.

"I'm sorry I got so emotional. It's just that, I was on such a high and then all of a sudden it was like I was on a roller coaster and my stomach was-" I continued.

He leaned down once again pulling my body flush with his. My eyes automatically closed. He surprised me by kissing me over my eyelids and my nose. The kisses felt incredibly cautious, soft, and sweet.

My stomach felt like it flipped inside of me. He had the power to make me feel so damn special.

"Bella," he breathed into my ear.

"Yes?"

Saying my name made me want to forget the broken bed, the people waiting below, and made me fully ready to start round three.

"I want you." The words were almost whispered, it was so quiet in the room.

It was me who said them. I said those three sexually-charged words. I didn't know if I meant it to be as sexual as it sounded. I just wanted to _be _with him, physically and mentally. I was utterly surprised at my boldness.

I clasped a hand over my mouth as he looked back at me with what appeared to be a shocked face. He laughed and pushed his body to mine. I could feel the hardness through his pants. He was saying he wanted me without words.

"You read my mind. I was about to tell you that I wanted you, again. You'd better put your clothes on, before I have to fuck you against the wall."

"Oh. I mean we could still do that?" I giggled, playfully.

"Pinky, I could take you in every single room, if you wanted, but, with my family and a cop still near, it probably wouldn't be a good idea."

"Damn," I said, acting disappointed and snapping my fingers.

"You shouldn't have said that," he said with a seductive smile.

He reached behind me, squeezing my butt with both hands.

"Oh!" I exclaimed with surprise. But, the mood quickly went from a playful exchange to intense staring.

"You look so fucking sexy," he said. I felt a chill run up my spine from the words.

He looked at me. I looked at him. We seemed to be communicating without words. After our intense exchange, he continued.

"I love these panties on you, but," he almost growled, and then paused before speaking again. "Your ass looks amazing without them."

"Uh huh," I answered.

There really were no words to say in response. My body felt an incredible want; I couldn't stand the sexual tension in the air. I wanted him near me, closer than we already were, in me. My hips moved forward to feel the hardness, to find the friction as my arms went around his waist. I wanted to feel the fuzzy warmth of another powerful release. I didn't help the situation we would be getting into, by encouraging him to keep going. We had people to face and questions to answer. I had been completely scared to the point of tears a few moments earlier, what had changed?

I felt my body temperature rise at the feel of his hands over the thin fabric of my panties and around the edges. I shivered in pure delight as I heard his breath hitch. He slid his fingers inside the flimsy fabric, and then his entire hand. Every rub, squeeze and pinch, his fingers creeping in the middle, made my body sensitive to an overwhelming feeling of goodness. It spread over my body like an uncontrolled fire. My eyes closed and I arched my back, soaking up the energy generating from his magical hands.

"Edward, I don't know if this is a good idea," I panted.

My heart was telling me to shut the fuck up, but my brain was always over-thinking and over-analyzing.

Meanwhile, his other hand moved up as he undid the clasp on my bra. I wondered if he had even heard me. In one quick moment, it hit the floor with a rustle. My breasts were free, erect, and waiting for the feeling of his hands on them. My heart began to race as I became excited at his playfulness. My core ached and I didn't expect it to go much further.

"I think it's a great idea," he said before swirling his tongue on my neck and kissing up toward my chin.

He moved the hand that was on my butt to between my legs, applying pressure over the front of my panties. I felt hot and sweat literally started beading on my forehead. The wind from outside seemed to be still. Everything seemed too quiet.

"Mmmm," I moaned, unable to control the feelings that stirred inside. I watched as his lip quivered, and my breath caught an intake of air.

"I love the way your body looks without clothes," he continued, sliding the panties down and feeling me with both hands. He grabbed and squeezed with a greater intensity as I withered under his touch.

He didn't neglect my breasts for long. He massaged one before tasting my nipples with warm, wet, and soft sucking sounds, gently pulling at the edge with his teeth, till the sensitive skin nearly hurt. I pulled on his hair, hoping he felt the way I did—excited with passion and lust.

I couldn't help myself. My sexual appetite was hungry for Edward inside me.

I reached to unbutton his pants and pulled the zipper down. I tugged at them and they dropped. His hard-on greeted me, bulging, and erect in his boxer briefs. I pulled his cock out and grasped with two hands at the base as I leaned down to take it in my mouth. I was greedy with need, but I wanted to please him too. I put the tip inside my mouth and swirled my tongue around while pumping with my hand.

"Shit! Bella!" He hissed. Hearing him talk was making me wet, and the heat in the room was generating from myself or the stillness of the night's lost wind. I heard his breath pick up, and he held my hair out of my face. It made me feel like I was starring in a porno, and I didn't mind one bit. It was his turn to be pleasured.

My mouth then took more inside as I let it go as far back as I could take and began to suck him like a lollipop, and slid my tongue from base to tip. I followed the lead of how his groans and breathing changed as I did my work on his juicy cock.

He quickly pulled me by my shoulders before he was able to cum and literally carried me up off the floor. I tightened my legs around him to keep me up. I wanted all his clothing off. I pulled at his shirt, fumbling with the buttons as he kissed me strongly. His urgent kisses left me breathless as our tongues wildly attacked each other's mouth. It was too late to stop. We were the first domino that had been pushed. The last shred of clothing was off thanks to both of us contributing to removing his shirt. Suddenly we were back to several minutes before the interruption. _There had been an interruption? Who cares?_ The domino had been pushed and we wouldn't be stopped.

He moved us with a wobble to the door to lock it, before he pressed me up against the opposite wall, all the while kissing me.

"You are going to have to be extra quiet, Pinky," he whispered when we came back up for air.

"Mmm Hmm," I mumbled with eyes closed.

He entered me slowly, but I was so turned on that he could have just slammed into me and I would have been fine. I shifted my hips to get into a perfect position, both of my arms held lazily around his back. He slid perfectly inside of my pulsing, wet, core and it was a thousand times sexier and more satisfying than I'd ever experienced before. It was excitement and pleasure and need fulfilled.

He shifted a bit, lifting me up and angling me against his body in a manner that made me feel like he was going to be hitting deep inside me.

"Do you still want it hard and fast?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed in a little more than a whisper.

"Hang on baby," he teased.

"Yes," I gasped, when he thrust hard inside and my head dropped back. I gripped at his hair, hard.

His movements became consistent; beats of hard thrusts caused both of us to moan in muffled and careful voices. The angle and the steady pace of aggressive movements caused my breasts to bounce against his chest. I watched him look at them while he licked his lips.

"You feel so good inside of me," I purred, gripping my legs tighter around his body.

"_Dimmi come vi piace_," he said in perfectly sounding Italian tongue.

I had no idea what he was saying, but I liked it and I didn't really care what it was at that moment. I gripped his sweaty hair and he in turn grasped roughly at my ass and legs. I wondered if there was something wrong with me for wanting him so many times in one day. If I was in a sexual drought before, I was heading for a flood.

"How do you like it, Pinky?"

"Yes! Yes! Just like that!" I groaned as softly as I could.

There was a passionate mixture of his lips to breasts and my lips to his neck. I couldn't help but be turned on. Had there actually been sadness and embarrassment minutes earlier? If I was embarrassed, that emotion had escaped out the window and onto the waves that were heard gently beating against the boat's edges.

Our lips were together again, like they belonged molded into a lip lock. I let my fingers drift from his hair, down to his neck, and last to his back. I heard the sound of our bodies coming together with thuds, slapping skin, groans, and heavy breathing.

After each hard thrust we tried to be silent, and when one of us got a little louder, we would silence the other with our lips over each other's mouths.

"Shhh," he told me when a louder sound came out of me due to the furious thrusts.

I got even more turned on when he tried to silence me; my blood seemed to boil at the hotness and thrill of being caught. _What the hell was I becoming? Did I want to be caught?_

But lips and tongues crashed together, keeping the moans at bay.

When we found both of our eyes open, he stared into mine making me feel like we were connecting on another intimate level. I had never experienced something so animalistic, raw, or caveman like in my life.

"_La mia bella, venuto per me_."

"Oh God!" I purred into his chest, I bit his sweaty chest and grasped his muscular back hard, digging my nails in as I heard the Italian words. I felt myself reaching another big O. It almost seemed unreal when we both said within seconds of each other, "I'm going to cum" and we actually did. It was good to know that we could do a quickie, if we needed to. My head rocked back hitting the wall with a thud, but I didn't feel pain, only pleasure. I clenched hard around his cock and I felt two final slow thrusts and we were both gasping and smiling at the delight of our combined bodies giving us blissful orgasms. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and smiled. My legs, feeling like spaghetti, trembled as he lowered me down, while my heart felt like I'd ran a marathon.

"_Grazie_," I said, remembering one of the only words I remembered in Italian. But I'd never been so delightfully happy. I couldn't help but giggle as I relished the bliss of the ultimate high. I bit my lower lip and self-consciously covered my breasts, feeling vulnerable as I took some deep breaths of the sex-filled air.

He removed my hand, kissing my breasts and in between as I reveled in the great pleasures of his lips.

_Nope, this definitely isn't spooning. _

I couldn't help but think that Edward hadn't disappointed. I knew I'd feel the stiffness and ache tomorrow. Hell, I felt it now.

_Goal accomplished. _

_*~*~*~GREEN~*~*~*_

**Edward**

The spontaneous sex was unavoidable. I wanted, no, needed her as soon as I'd seen her come out of the bathroom. She had flushed pink cheeks; I'd seen the speckling of freckles near her eyes and across her chest and shoulders. Her brown and auburn-colored hair was curly and flowing with some unraveled locks falling across her bra and over her beautiful breasts. She walked out confident in her bra and panties, with a trace of wetness still in her eyes.

I didn't stand a chance.

I also saw the hickey and bruises on her pale body, and I felt really sorry, and it did look shocking. I didn't think either of us could have planned for the unexpected bed-breaking. I mean how many times does that really happen? I'd experienced two sexual firsts with her, never had I done what we did on a plane before and then the breaking of the bed. Yet, I didn't think I would have really changed anything. She was unique, so why not have a first date that ended with a bed breaking? Why not have Emmett and Rosalie burst through the door? Why not have another round of intense, hard sex, while we tried to be quiet.

The pep talk about being okay about meeting my family had been complete and she seemed like she would be fine. As we began the descent down the stairs, I took the lead and stopped mid-way to take a peek at Bella's blushing face. She'd tried to fix her hair but unfortunately the nice curls she had at the beginning of the date looked a bit chaotic. It didn't matter to me though because she had the freshly fucked glow, and I was the cause of it. It looked absolutely perfect. She looked amazing but at that particular moment she was wide-eyed and timid. I'd caught some glimpses of her shyness when I spoke of her beauty, but she looked genuinely frightened. No matter how much I'd wished that our date hadn't been interrupted, it almost seemed like it was meant to be this way. If Bella and I didn't work out, I'd still always remember her as the girl I broke a bed with. I'd always remember her as my Pinky. I'd never be able to not think about our encounter on the plane. I'd remember her as the girl that excited me, that made me feel almost uncontrolled around her.

But, what I wanted her to feel at that moment was at ease around my family.

The thing that frightened me the most was Rosalie. She was like the sister I never had, and we fought like it too. She judged every woman I chose to date, and I didn't doubt that she would give Bella a hard time. Being the best friend of my daughter's mother, Tanya, she was always trying to arrange for us to get back together. She was determined that we belonged together forever and all that bullshit and no matter how much I pushed away, it seemed that she always pulled Tanya forward. Maybe it was true, that the women I dated were as wrong for me as Tanya was. Tanya had been my first real love, but that didn't mean she was right for me. Sometimes, you had to let those loves go, because the clashing and negatives far-outweighed the positives. How was I supposed to find the person I'd want to marry if everyone always thought that there was no one who could reach Tanya's level of love?

I'd purposely held off the talk about my ex-fiancée with Bella. It was complicated with Tanya, but I knew there wasn't a chance that we'd get back together. I hoped that when Bella found out that Rosalie was best friends with my daughter's mother, she wouldn't think that she had to compete. That was a conversation I wasn't looking forward to having, but I knew we'd eventually cross that path.

As I headed down the steps I was first greeted with Emmett standing in the kitchen, looking down at our deserted shoes. When he saw me enter the room, he smiled. His deep dimples made him look like a little boy, yet he was two years older than me.

"Hey, baby bro. What took you so long? Did you two fuck again? What else did you break?" Emmett asked with a big grin and a wink at Bella.

I looked over at Bella and saw her face flush to the darkest pink I'd seen yet. It was cute and I smiled, but I didn't answer. Bella had no expression besides the telling sign of embarrassment.

"Oh my God, you did? Shit, you two have guts!" he exclaimed. "You like being freaky, huh? You like the thrill of being caught," he said with a goofy grin.

He might as well have been singing, "Edward and Bella sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Emmett, come on man," I said, before he kept his purpose of embarrassing the hell out of us. It wasn't my own embarrassment I was concerned about, but rather Bella's.

"Well, now that you are freshly fucked, why didn't you answer your phone?" Emmett asked. "How did you break the bed? I didn't even think that was possible."

I held onto Bella's soft and shaking hand, trying to calm her nerves.

"Well, let's not bother with introductions or anything," I said to Emmett sarcastically.

"I didn't answer my phone because I had the phone off." I decided to ignore the question of how the bed got broken. I mean, there was a mangled bed and two naked people. How the hell did he think it had been broken?

"Well, we just got off the plane and we get a frantic call from Dad saying the neighbors were calling the cops. He tried calling you and left a voicemail to call him back. I guess you never got it. The neighbors thought they heard someone yelling. I told him you were still in Amsterdam. I didn't know you were back already."

"Oh God," Bella said.

"You never pay attention to what I say," I told Emmett. "I am positive I told you that was just to see a presentation on the Volterra account. I said I'd only be there a half-day or a day at max."

Rosalie looked at Bella with piercing eyes as I spoke with Emmett.

"So who is this chick?" She said to me, crossing her arms and pointing with her chin. "You didn't mention you were seeing anyone."

I felt Bella tense up.

"Um, yeah, we met recently."

I hadn't had time to mention Bella to them, but I wished I had. I had been exhausted when I made it to Amsterdam and then I'd spent the majority of the day at the boring financial meeting. Maybe it would have made this conversation smoother, but I hadn't expected to see them, for at least another week. Rosalie hated this place. She always said she felt sea sick, even when it was anchored.

"Oh," Rosalie rolled her eyes and then softer, "That is such an old move, Edward. Is she Italian?"

The way she was talking as if Bella was not in the room made my blood boil.

"Don't be such a bitch" I glared at her. "No, she's not Italian. She lives in Seattle."

I turned my attention back to Emmett, "This is my...this is Bella. Bella, this is my brother, Emmett and his wife, Rosalie."

I didn't know how to address Bella. Was she my girlfriend? Was she a friend? A friend with benefits? I already knew I could see more than just a friendship, but we hadn't exactly set any parameters.

"Hello, I'm so sorry we had to meet like this. I'm so embarrassed, but, it's nice to meet you," Bella said politely. She looked so cute, with that pink blush now spread across her nose and forehead. She offered her hand and shook hands with Emmett and Rosalie.

Rosalie gasped as she shook hands with Bella. "Holy shit, bruises and hickeys."

"Did you do that to her? That looks really, like, trashy," Rosalie said looking at me with a hand on her hip. It wasn't really a question-I mean of course I'd given her the hickey. So I just looked at her, with an "Are you serious?" expression.

Bella released her hand from mine and answered, "Let me explain. To answer your question he didn't bruise me. The bed did when it broke, and we uh, struggled to get free. The hickey was well, we got a bit carried away," she said to Rosalie.

Rosalie just raised her eyebrows, looking as if she wasn't expecting a response from her.

"Of course I didn't bruise her, Rosalie. Shit."

"That hickey looks huge!" Emmett said stepping closer to Bella to inspect it. "Damnnnnn, little bro, that must have been some sexing you were having," he said, with what appeared to be astonishment on his face.

I couldn't think of anything to say back, so I just shook my head in hopes that he'd just shut up already.

"We didn't see your car. Where's the Volvo?" he asked me.

"It's getting serviced. It wouldn't start because _someone_ told me they were going to disconnect the battery and they didn't," I said with a piercing stare at Emmett. I'd left for Seattle before he had last summer and he'd told me he would take care of everything. I had just bought the Audi, deciding to upgrade to something new. I hadn't talked to him in several days, so he had no idea about anything.

"Oh. I thought I did?" he said mostly to himself.

"Well, you didn't," I snapped.

"Shit. My bad."

"So Bella," Emmett said changing the subject. "What brings you to Italy?"

"I'm visiting my friends for the month."

"And how'd you two meet?" Rosalie chipped in.

I looked at Bella who turned from pink to red. She grasped at a loose curl and bit her lip.

"We met on the plane," I said, speaking for her. I couldn't think of a fib. I wanted Bella to relax and not have to explain. It was the truth after all.

"And you just got here today. That's uh, fast," Rosalie said rudely.

"I, uh, I," Bella stuttered.

"Yeah, I know, you don't do these things often," Rosalie said, trying to finish her sentence. I knew Rosalie was intimidating. She didn't hide her thoughts.

Under her breath, but still audible, I heard her say, "But maybe you do."

I saw a twitch in Bella's eye and it looked like she was going to say something, but she didn't.

"Rosalie, yes we just met. Big fucking deal, we are both adults here," I said.

"I agree," Emmett said in my defense.

Rosalie looked at Emmett with what looked to be complete disgust.

"What?" he said with two hands up.

"Butt out of this conversation, babe. He's got a daughter he's got to think about."

She looked directly at Bella.

"I bet he didn't tell you he has a daughter," she said with a big smile to Bella, like that was supposed to be shocking.

"I know about his daughter, and his daughter's mother. I know that he is single and free to do what he wants to do," Bella said back confidently.

I smiled, glad that she was speaking up and not backing away from her questions.

_Yeah that's right! You tell her!_

"We actually do know a_ lot _about each other. So stop already, Rosalie. This is my life, not yours," I added.

She rolled her eyes at me like I was some immature child. She was only one year older than me, but sometimes she acted like she was so much more experienced.

"I uh, I need to take Bella back home," I said feeling the tension rise in the room.

I rubbed Pinky's back, letting her know that we'd get out of here soon. We'd need to do proper introductions without vicious verbal attacks from Rosalie another time.

"Did you tell her you were almost married?" Rosalie said, not to me, but directly at Bella.

My mouth dropped open.

I saw Bella shift uncomfortably.

"I was engaged at one point, yes, but I wouldn't say I was almost married. We hadn't even gotten to the planning part before we broke up."

"I'll talk to you guys soon," I said abruptly, leading Bella by hand to the door to end the stupid conversation. I didn't think that was appropriate information to bring up on our first date. Today was all about learning and getting to know each other better.

"I'm sure Tanya will think it's nice that you fucked some random girl in the houseboat," Rosalie chimed in.

I stopped, first glancing at Bella's reaction before opening the door and looking back one last time.

Some random girl? Was Bella really random?

If Bella bit her lip anymore she might have drawn blood. I was furious at Rosalie, but I didn't want to make a bigger scene than this was turning out to be.

Emmett looked at me with an uncharacteristic frown and a crease on his forehead. He waved a cautious bye.

"Nice to meet you, Bella!" he yelled as I shuffled outside of the door. I didn't give Bella time to respond, I just wanted to get the hell out of there.

That was our first date. How the hell had it gotten so twisted?

_*~*~*~GREEN~*~*~*_

**Bella**

_Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. _

_Random girl._

_ Didn't we just get introduced?_

_Engagement?_

_Marriage? _

_When?_

_For how long?_

My head hurt with all the new questions. How did it get complicated? As we walked silently to the car, Edward's thumb rubbed over my hand in soothing circles, but we didn't speak.

_I'm assuming Tanya is his daughter's mother. Was Rosalie on good terms with her?_

Back inside his car, a replay began in my mind of the night's events.

The day definitely could have gone smoother. My embarrassment did get the best of me, and I had allowed tears to appear seemingly out of nowhere. But I'd had fun talking with Edward, and we'd had amazing sex. It was our first date; I wasn't supposed to know everything about him in one day. _There would be other dates, surely?_

Of course, I'd known Edward had a daughter. He'd even told me a bit about how he and Tanya weren't right for each other. I couldn't remember the exact words he'd used though. Still, I felt confident that Edward and I had the potential for more.

"I have to apologize for Rosalie's attitude and rudeness. She seems to always have a problem with everything and anyone," Edward said while turning on the car.

_Yeah. She was an absolute delight._

"I have to admit, she really is...what is the word I'm looking for?" I sighed, searching for a word that didn't seem offensive.

Nasty?

Rude and Caustic?

A bitch?

"Sharp-tongued," I said, and then continued, "It's OK. We don't have to talk about that tonight. I think we have to save that for another time?" I asked, hoping I wasn't incorrect in assuming that he wanted to see me again.

"I just want you to know that Tanya and I are more than over. She will always be in my life because she primarily lives with Emma, but..." He paused, and I cut him off.

"Really, I don't need an explanation. Like, at all. I may be following my heart here, but I can tell you are being honest with me. If you think you'd like to see me again, I'm giving you the green light."

He turned to me and flashed a beautiful crooked smile, which ended that conversation. We listened to some sort of easy-listening music softly in the background as I looked out of the window at the beauty of Italy. We talked lightly about everything prior to the houseboat.

When we were in the parking lot of the apartment complex, I saw that the time was 2:29 a.m. It felt like I'd spent much more time with him. After all we'd been through, it was hard to believe we'd only really seen each other twice. Deep inside my heart I felt a connection that I wanted to believe was more important than lust.

When he turned the car off, I spoke up.

I wanted things to be simple. I didn't want to think about my potential competition in Tanya. I didn't want to think that maybe I _was _just a clumsy, cheap drunk, who talked about my sexual fantasies on a first date, and said and did uncharacteristic things. Was I really some slut, as Rosalie suggested?

Well at least I knew that wasn't true. Sluts actually had sex, which I hadn't had in a really, really long time before tonight.

My seatbelt had just been removed and my hand lingered on the door handle as I searched for the perfect words to say at the end of the night. I wanted to say something that would guarantee seeing him again. But, I couldn't find the perfect words.

How does one say that he just fit perfectly in my previously uncolored world?

How does one say that meeting him had made me bolder?

That meeting him made my life exponentially brighter?

How?

When you've only just met?

"Bella, I had a great-"Edward started.

My hand dropped from the handle, and I leaned over to his side of the car. I pressed into his warm lips with my own, tugging his ear softly as I deepened it just a little bit. His hand held the side of my head, tugging lightly on my hair.

"Thanks," I said after a few moments of trying to remember the way his lips felt on mine. I wanted to keep that certain feeling. I wanted that feeling to be the last thing I'd remember when I went to sleep. I pulled away from sleepy looking green eyes. His eyes searched mine, as if he was asking a question or looking for a response to one.

I stepped out of the car, shutting the door and saying nothing more. I didn't want the whole walk-me-to-the-door cliché. Although it may have seemed funny to think, I wouldn't have changed anything about our first date.

_*~*~*~GREEN~*~*~*_

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**A/N: I was told that every review of this chapter gets just a minuscule closer to world peace. If you read it through, please review. I rhymed!**

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Dear Readers, I'd like to thank you for continuing on this Italian journey I've written for Bella and Edward. I apologize about the delay in this chapter. Real life sometimes doesn't allow for much writing! I really don't have a set posting schedule, but I try not to go more than three weeks between chapters. I was going to push time a bit here, but I've decided to do pick up the pace starting next chapter.

Please do tell me, What stood out that you liked/disliked? Did you expect another lemon? Could Rosalie have been bitchier? Did you like the mini Edward POV? How do we feel about his reveal that he was previously engaged?

If you have twitter, feel free to add me: Lo21_. My twatters get the first news on updates. I occasionally will share certain other details there about postings and my stories. Next colored title is not available as of this posting. So, you'll either be surprised or I'll confess on Twitter. ;) Also, I've got a beautiful new banner for my story. Click on my profile to link to my blog to see it! Thanks to MizzKingAtYourService TwiFicPicsdotcom for her services!

Oh, finally,The Italian translations are rough. :/ I don't speak Italian. if I've made mistakes,please send me a PM so I can correct it!

THANK YOU as always to LovelyBrutal for pre-reading/editing!

THANK YOU to piperann and HEAR from PTB!

With love from Texas ya'll,

xoxo

Lo_  
_


	6. Blue Colored Heart Part I

**Stephenie Meyer had an epic dream. She owns everything that is Twilight.**

**Enjoy!**

This chapter is kind of a transition chapter and it ends on a mini cliffy. **  
**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Blue Colored Heart Part I**

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_Blue represents the color of sky and the ocean; blue is perceived as a constant in our lives. As the collective color of the spirit, it invokes rest and can cause the body to produce chemicals that are calming and cooling. Physically and mentally, shades of blue can affect trustworthiness, dependability and commitment._

_*~*~*~BLUE~*~*~*_

**Edward**

The car ride to drop Bella off felt different. Our earlier trips in the taxi and on our way to the houseboat had completely different energies. This one had been filled with mindless small talk, and I didn't know what I should or shouldn't say. I thought I'd always been good at reading people, but I was stumped at how we could ultimately end the mood that had shifted so dramatically. I knew that I had been quiet because Rosalie had treated her so awfully. I didn't know if I'd defended Bella enough. Did she think I should have been more outspoken in her defense? I thought I'd done my best to protect her without making the day any more traumatic than it had already been. I didn't want her to feel attacked or insulted. I kept going back to my reasoning. What would have been the purpose of allowing things to escalate?

Inside the car, it was like I had been going on my first date ever. But this wasn't like those first dates. I couldn't have a friend pass her a note and ask if she still liked me or if she hated me.

I had hoped that it would be the perfect date, and it had been for a good majority of the time. I wanted her to experience Italy and soak in some of the culture. I wanted to allow plenty of time for just getting to know each other. The houseboat had been unplanned and spontaneous. _Why had I suggested it?_ It had been my fault. I knew I would have shown it to her eventually, but that hadn't been my plan for the night. I didn't really even think we'd get beyond kissing this date. Or at least, I was prepared for not getting beyond kissing.

I'd been willing to let the pace be set by her. She had been uncertain when we'd landed in Amsterdam. I knew without her even saying, that she wasn't used to having a one-night stand. I was. I'd enjoyed the freedoms of college and being single. But I hadn't ever done anything sexual on a plane—ever. Seeing her though, as soon as I woke up on the plane was the point when it clicked in my mind. She allowed me to see her heart on her sleeve. She wasn't just a one-night stand or someone who was easily forgotten.

We had endless sexual chemistry. That was certain. She seemed fragile and delicate in her feelings. It was surprising to hear her list the things that were attractive about me while we were in the houseboat. That, to me, showed me her confidence and boldness. I didn't think she saw herself that way. Regardless whether she saw it or not, she showed me sparks of shining confidence. It was the definition of sexy.

Inside the parked car, I had wanted to say that besides the barging-in of Emmett and Rosalie, I had a great time and hoped to see her again. I wanted to say that her feelings mattered. If she wanted the details about Tanya, I would tell her. I would be honest, and I'd hope she would be the same with me. I hadn't lied to her. I hadn't misled her. I simply decided that the first date wasn't the best time to talk about other relationships I'd had or _the_ big relationship I'd had.

In the end, she'd been the brave one. She'd said her parting word, and my mouth was stuck closed like a caught zipper.

The goodbye kiss was unexpected. I kind of expected her to wave and say, "See ya! Have fun with the rest of your life!"

But it was sweet. It had been careful, but deep, like she was telling me something with her lips. What was it? It was like a well-planned trick, and I wondered if she planned to end the date that way. She'd left me with a spellbinding magical kiss that made me want even more of her. We stared at each other briefly, and I had wanted to say something. But still, my mouth didn't want to form actual words. I'd hoped my eyes showed that I cared about her.

And that last uttered word in the car, "Thanks."

_Thanks._

A simple word. It rang in my mind. What did it mean?

Thanks for the evening? Thanks for the company? Thanks for the memories, but this is our final goodbye? Thanks for letting Rose hurt her feelings? Bella hadn't said anything about how she'd felt, but I knew it was probably bubbling just below the surface.

Bella had been unforgettable.

There were things I noticed that made Bella uniquely her. She'd thanked me several times during the night, pure politeness. But then it was after kisses too, as she left me in the car, and she'd even said it once in Italian after our spur of the moment wall-sex. _God, that was hot_.

I watched her long, lean legs as she walked back to the apartment. There was just something about the way her robust ass moved in her dress that made me feel frenzied. It made me ready to run after her and grab ahold of it, of her. Her long hair blew in the slight breeze as she walked away. Even if I hadn't felt the summer's air through my car windows, a shiver ran along my spine. She was sexy as hell, clothed or not.

I'd sat in my car with the engine off until she was no longer in my sight. My hands nervously ran through my hair, feeling the now lost buzz of her lips, and I tried to tell myself that it was okay. It felt like I'd lost something. I had, in fact. I'd lost Bella from that night or early morning. It felt wrong. It felt like I'd done this before. There were no real plans to see each other again, I hadn't said, "I'll call you." I didn't say, "I hope to see you again." It had been just like she did when we'd last parted ways. She didn't look back. It felt final. It was the end credits of a movie, and I just wanted to say, "Wait! How does the story end?"

Had Rosalie scared her away? Did she not want to talk through what happened because it just wasn't the right time?

Bella. My blushing Pinky had left.

Even after everything that I'd enjoyed about the night, I still had a foul feeling left over from the last memories Bella was going to have of our date. It didn't sit right with me, and I didn't know how to fix it. There'd been no way that Bella was just some random girl, and I would hate if she held onto those words. If I'm thinking so much about it, then what must she be thinking? I wouldn't go through the fuss of a planned first date if all I wanted was to hook up.

I knew women in this town who would be willing if that's what I wanted. It's one thing to be horny and find a woman and another to plan a date that included talking to enjoy a woman's company. It was something completely different to feel nervous and excited about seeing Bella again because I'd hope that we still had that special spark. If we hadn't had sex, I would still have wanted to be around Bella. This wasn't about just hooking up with someone. This was about _knowing_ her and wanting to learn everything that was _Bella_.

Seeing her face this adversity was eye opening. It was too bad that I'd realized that after she left, and I had let it linger in my mind. She could have exploded at Rose and stooped to her level, but she didn't, and for that, I was proud of her.

I started the car and noticed the moon, which had looked so white earlier, was hidden by clouds. It gave a bluish tint to the sky. It was like the moon knew it shouldn't look so bright and beautiful. My heart felt cloudy, too.

I took out my phone, feeling like I needed to do or say something immediately. I settled on a text message.

**There is nothing random about you, Bella. I hope you know that. I want to see you again. I hope you feel the same? Good Night.**

I put my phone on the passenger seat, and on my drive home, I heard an alert.

_*~*~*~BLUE~*~*~*_

**Bella**

I'd felt so damn confident walking away. I left him with a kiss I hoped he'd remember me by. A kiss that said, "I want you despite your crazy, bitchy sister-in-law." I carried a smile all the way to the apartment. He was just amazing as a person … in bed … on the counter … on the wall. A smirk played on my lips, savoring in the feeling.

_The kiss._

The kiss—the buzz, the electricity—which I wanted to remember, started in my lips and ran down to my toes. The feeling of his hands mixed in my hair, his intoxicating scent. It lasted all the way to the apartment door. But passing through the door, I felt the reality hit me with each quiet step I took to my bedroom. The more I thought about Rosalie and her rudeness, the more the walls that housed my confidence came down. Words hurt longer than physical pain, and I felt them.

I wanted to think of Edward. One day, I knew that someone would ask what my most memorable date was and with whom. I wouldn't have had to even think twice. _This night. This man. Edward._

_Rosalie's words._

My eyes were blurry with tears. The day's events hit me like a punch in the gut.

Her words really got to me after all. The date had been supposed to be focused on Edward and me. But in the end, I had other people to think about.

_Tears._

Fucking tears always made me feel weak. Luckily, the tears hadn't fallen in front of Edward for the second time during the night. He probably thought I was insecure and weak. I was actually proud of not letting my emotions take over and crying or ranting in front of Rosalie.

She looked beautiful, like she just came off some Italian runway in her fashionable outfit. She was the type of person that I was scared to look at directly. The reason? Fear that I'd be told what a small and insignificant person I really was. She was intimidating, and I was confused at the tone and manner she took with me. I thought I was dressed nicely, and I had politely introduced myself. I wondered why she wanted me to feel bad of myself or Edward. I'd felt sexy, appealing, and wanted by Edward. That was all I had wanted. But, having been thrown head first into this situation, I also wanted to please his brother and his sister-in-law. I wanted people to like me, and it was an incredible disappointment that I felt with myself. _What did I do wrong?_

I had been so overly emotional the entire night. I'd felt like such a baby. Who cried that much because things didn't work out like the fairy tales? Who even invented fairy tales? They should be dragged out onto the street and shot. People didn't have fairy tale lives; it was all just some scam.

I rolled my eyes when I realized just how stupid I was being. I had a great time, and that's all that mattered.

I stripped my dress and slipped into a tank and sleep shorts. I brushed my teeth and washed my face. I had desperately wanted to soak in a bath, but I didn't want to bring attention to myself. The pain in my legs made me feel the realness of the night.

_It actually happened._

Still, there was a question that hovered around me. I knew I couldn't walk away from him. I wanted to date Edward. How was I supposed to date him if I'd started on the wrong foot with his family? It seemed unfair, and I felt like wallowing in self-pity because it was a dream and a nightmare all at once.

Then, I wondered if the kiss was understood. _He knew that, right?_ Despite a bumpy road of embarrassments and mishaps and unfiltered words, I wanted him. I thought more about that final conversation we had. Had it been enough?

As I settled in my bed, I took my phone out to set an alarm. That's when I noticed the message from him. I paused, taking a deep breath before opening it.

**There is nothing random about you, Bella. I hope you know that. I want to see you again. I hope you feel the same? Good Night.**

He was so thoughtful and caring, and the message was very reassuring. My smile could not have been bigger or brighter. It was amazing how much I'd smiled at my phone during the past couple of days.

_Fuck You, Rosalie. Fuck you and your stupid-ass assumptions. Fuck you and your supermodel looks. Edward doesn't think I'm random! Ha! _

It was nice to let a little bit of anger outeven if it wasn't actually directed to her.

Of _course_ I had wanted to see him again. I'd told him that in the car. He'd smiled; I was sure he understood. I sent a message right back. I didn't have to overanalyze the words. They were purely from my heart. My response was speedy and simple.

**Edward,**

**I know there is nothing random about the both of us, together. I'd love to see you again. Good Night.**

I knew what I wanted. My heart was right. Everyone else could get the fuck out of the way.

_*~*~*~BLUE~*~*~*_

In the morning, tiny hands grabbed my arm.

"Wake up, Bella!" The excited voice urged much too loudly.

I opened one eye and was met with piercing bright streaming sunlight and Alice close enough to my face to kiss me. Why was Italy so sunshiny? And furthermore, why was Alice in my face?

"Hmmm?" I mumbled, pulling the blanket over my head.

The blanket was quickly pulled down, and Alice straddled my body, both legs pinning me from moving while pushing my hair out of the way.

"Oh my gosh! A hickey!" she said loudly.

"Alice!" I began frantically trying to cover myself with my hands. "What the hell? You've never been a morning person. Can you please get the hell off of me?"

We struggled as she ignored me and tried to investigate the hickey closer. It erupted into a struggle of grunts as I tried to sit up. I felt pain creeping up my upper thighs causing me to moan a bit in the struggle. _Well that is what I asked for._ There were giggles from both of us as she pushed with everything she had to get a better view of my neck. For being so petite, she had killer strength.

"What is goin—Oh. Please don't let me interrupt," Jasper said as he passed by my open door since we were now basically wrestling each other. Alice turned around to meet his eyes.

"I'm sure you wouldn't want to interrupt," she teased back.

Since I had a moment of non-struggle, I saw a silly grin plastered on his face.

"Jasper!" Alice screeched. "I think Bella had a good time last night. She's got a big hickey!"

He just laughed from the hall and turned around to leave us. She loosened her grip on me, and I wiggled away. I hugged the blanket to my body as tight as I could and sat up.

"Did you fuck him?" Alice's bright eyes were sparkling and serious. A smirk was displayed on her face.

"Good morning to you too, Alice!" I said, rolling my eyes.

"He is so gorgeous, Bella! I'll bet he is like so hot in bed. Is he?"

"I don't kiss and tell," I said with a serious expression.

"I know you don't, babe. But you do fuck and tell, so spill the details," she said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest.

I told her about the leading details of the date before the houseboat. She'd interrupt with "Oh that is so beautiful!" and "That is so sweet!" She started getting antsy and trying to make my story go faster. "Oh my God, you did it on the bridge? On the boat? In the taxi?"

All I could do was look at her with a questioning do-you-know-me-at-all? face.

She made a fake yawn and told me to get to the juicy stuff. I told her I'd get to those details if she'd be patient. She feigned interest as I talked about the dinner and how beautiful it had been.

I told her how I'd joked about the houseboat and how he offered to show me if I told him what my fantasy was. I'd explained the beauty of the houseboat and how we'd had this sexual tension that was broken once inside. I told her how we'd confessed our feelings—that we really did have a lot that we liked about each other and that I'd confessed that my fantasy was to have sex on a houseboat.

I blamed the alcohol in my system at the time, but thinking back on it, I'd like to remember just being bold enough to say what was really on my mind. And then I got into the details. I told her that after my confession, he'd lifted me onto the counter and gone down on me.

"Yes, oh Bella. That sounds so fucking hot. Jasper has got to fuck me or go down on me on the counter. In fact, I think I'll treat him to that—soon. I wonder if he'd be able to take me from behind if I hang on to the…"

I blushed profusely as she seemed to go into a daydream mode. I was surprised she had not yet done that, and I kind of felt proud in a way that I'd experienced something sexually that she hadn't tried.

"But—" she fanned herself with her hand, "tell me more about you two."

I tried to remember the little details like how he'd nicknamed me based on the color of the lingerie I'd been wearing. I told her next about the broken bed. That's all it took for her to erupt with laughter.

"Broke. The. Bed." She had somehow managed in the midst of rolling laughter. Alice liked laughing at my expense as did I, at hers. I didn't think it was _that_ funny.

"Oh my God. Can I tell Jasper?" she said after she returned from the bathroom because she was literally going to pee in her pants.

I dropped my head back and shut my eyes and sighed loudly while I shook my head no.

"I guess," I said, saying the opposite of what I'd just displayed with my body. Surely, there was no harm in letting him know about my mishap.

"Jasper!" Alice yelled.

"Wait. Now? Don't you want to laugh about it behind my back?"

"Jasper!" she yelled even louder until he showed up in the doorway. "You've got to hear this story!"

He stood there for a moment and then walked into my room and sat on the bed. The sight of him made me cocoon myself back under the covers. Alice repeated the story, and I curled into a fetal position as she broke into laughter and Jasper joined in.

"Wow. You wanna see if we can break the bed, Alice?" he asked.

"We can certainly try, big boy," she said suggestively.

"Oh God," I moaned from under the covers.

"Do we make you horny?" Jasper asked while laughing.

I peeked out from under the covers with a huge smile on my face and flipped him the bird. I was kind of annoyed that I felt so happy. I guess it really was true, sex equated happiness. At least for me anyway.

"So do we get to meet this bed-breaker and hang out?" Jasper asked.

"His name is Edward. And really? You guys really want to hang out? I mean, you won't tell him that I told you, right?"

"Ooh! Double date!" Alice squealed.

"You might as well hear this too Jasper," I said. "There's more to the story. When we finally got untangled and loose from the bed, which by the way gave us bruises, there was a knock at the door."

"Huh?" Alice and Jasper said at exactly the same time. It was always funny to see them so in tune with each other.

"His sister-in-law and brother walked in on us. We didn't have clothes on. Turns out one of their neighbors heard us and though someone had broken into the house."

"Damn!" Jasper exclaimed. "You were that loud?"

"Shit, Jasper. I mean, how loud are the two of you?" I asked waving my hand between him and Alice.

Alice giggled.

"Anyway … Edward's phone had been off, and his family just decided to come over. Also, somewhere in there a cop was called. The cop came after we'd been walked in on. I was so mortified!"

"Wow. What a way to meet his family! Wait. Cops?" Alice said.

"Cop," I said. "Damn this is like a game of telephone. Don't make it into something worse. We weren't arrested or anything."

"I'm sorry that happened, Bella!" she continued.

Jasper shook his head. "Well that sucks," he said.

"I may have shed a few tears over the matter. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to die. I wanted to pretend that they hadn't seen us. I didn't have any options. My clothes were downstairs, and I looked freaking sloppy. Hair a mess, bruises all over. I'm surprised he didn't just pretend I was the person who broke in. My hair was hideous. I looked like the bride of Frankenstein." I nervously laughed replaying the scene in my head.

"So did you meet them?" Jasper said.

"Well that's where the tricky thing happens. So we get downstairs, and his brother Emmett is completely adorable and just kind of making jokes with both of us. But Emmett's wife, Rosalie is like a queen bitch. She starts talking about me like I wasn't in the room. She basically came to the conclusion that I was sleazy slut."

"What a certifiable bitch! She doesn't even know who the fuck you are! How dare she say that! And what do you mean she was acting like you weren't in the room?"

"Well, she was speaking about me, but not directly to me. She was talking to Edward. I wanted to go off, but it was a fucked up situation to be in to begin with. I don't want her to hate me."

"Babe, she has no right to say that shit to you. I would have said, 'You can take your words and shove them up your ass after you remove that stick! You don't even know me you snooty bitch!' If I ever meet her, there is going to be some scratching and hair pulling and—"

Jasper laughed. "Yeah, actually, I can totally imagine you saying those words, but there will be no fighting."

She looked at him with an annoyed glare.

"I appreciate you having my back, Alice. But really, nothing good will come of me starting a fight with her."

"We both have your back," Jasper said sincerely.

"Verbally as well as physically," Alice added with a wide grin.

"Thanks, I truly do mean that. You guys are awesome. There's more to the story though. She started telling me about how Edward was engaged to his daughter's mother and—"

"Whoa? He has a daughter?" Alice said raising her voice from playful to serious.

"Well, yeah. I knew about his daughter. But I'm cool with that. Really, not a big deal, like, at all. Sure, I didn't know about the engagement, but I mean they have a daughter together."

"Wait a minute, Bella. You are cool with him having a daughter? Having kids is fine, but you have to deal with the angry ex who either hates his guts or is still madly in love with him. They are linked. For life. She will probably make your life a living hell. Have you thought about this?"

"I don't care, Alice. It's not about me and other people. This is about me and Edward enjoying each other's company."

"I … uh. I'll just go make us some breakfast," Jasper said excusing himself from the conversation.

"No. This changes things, Bella," she said while sitting beside me and draping an arm around me. "You need to really think this over. I want to support you and be excited about your relationships."

"Then please support me on my decisions and actions. I know what I feel, and it's in here," I said, tapping my chest.

"Your boobs?" Alice smiled.

"Yes, Alice. My boobs are a good judge of character and hold the key to my heart."

She smiled weakly.

"I trust you babe. I just don't want you to get hurt. I don't want this to be a repeat of James. We are talking about a woman that will always be there."

The name was always a constant reminder of what I had. Hearing his name alone made me feel as if there was a knife lodged in my back. Mentally it hurt to hear, and there was almost a physical hurt too. James had been my ex live-in boyfriend and the guy whom I'd trusted for three of my college years. He'd been the man that cheated on me. The crying, the betrayal, the wariness of dealing with new guys, he'd been the cause of all that. The highs and lows in my college days were basically all about him. It'd been a strange feeling knowing that he probably had always been looking for someone else. The girl he'd casually talk about in seemingly normal conversations while still telling me he loved me. The guy who continued to sleep with me, who kissed me, and who slowly withdrew until I was already too far gone. I'd been blind-sided. I wished I'd known. Yet, there had been signs that I'd missed. He cheated on me with a friend from his past, Victoria. He didn't care about my feelings. I thought that I was strong, but in the end I was a shell of myself. A heart covered in barbed-wire, guarded.

"He's nothing like James," I said softly. The good thing was that I could actually say his name now. A piece of me had been healed. I'd thank Edward for that. I'd spent a lot of time grieving for our relationship and feeling sorry for myself. That time was over.

"But anyway, while I got myself together in the bathroom, we may or may not have had super-quiet, yet super sexy wall sex."

"Oh. My. God! Bella!"

"Yeah, I think those words were heard," I laughed.

_*~*~*~BLUE~*~*~*_

**Edward**

I let a calming breath escape from me after receiving her message. I liked that she had used the word "us" in her response. On the long drive home though, I started getting pissed. What if Rosalie had ruined my chances with Bella? I knew Emmett and Rosalie were staying at the house; we all stayed there when we were in town. I knew we'd have to argue or yell it out of our systems. Emmett's and Rosalie's cars were both in the driveway at our main property when I finally got home. I prayed that they wouldn't be up and relaxed when it was dark and quiet inside. I didn't have enough energy to give her a piece of my mind. I did my nightly routine and stripped completely naked and crawled underneath the duvet on my bed. I fell fast asleep.

The next morning I slept-in late. I'd felt like I hadn't really rested in days. I'd been going non-stop, and I needed the sleep desperately. It was a Sunday, but I had to go into the office to go over some reports for a meeting I had the following day. I was supposed to have done the work the day prior, but as soon as I got into town, I was busy planning the details of our date. Luckily, I was in charge, and it was a weekend, so I didn't need to go into work. Once up, I did a morning run, took a shower, and left the house before anyone was even awake.

I spent most of the rest of the morning under piles of paperwork and glued to my computer comparing numbers, double-checking figures and reports. I tried to concentrate on the work, but Bella just kept coming into my mind. When I'd worked for several hours, my stomach starting rumbling, and I had to pause for lunch. I got up from my desk and looked out from the window on the twelfth floor of the building. I wondered what Bella was doing, so I decided to call her before I went to get something. I dialed her number, and she picked up just when I'd thought it was heading for voice mail.

"Hello?"

The noise in the background seemed loud and busy as I heard lots of people talking.

"Hi Bella."

"Hey! Edward! I'm glad you called," she said sweetly. I could almost see her blush. "How is everything?"

"Oh great. Just wanted to see how you were? I mean the bruises, the hickey; I hope you are not too sore. I just wanted to apologize again."

I didn't really know where I was going with the conversation; it was just nice to hear her voice.

She giggled.

"No, no. Like I said before, no worries. I'm fine. Makeup does miracles. Hey, we're in Venice again! I took a water bus to this art festival with Alice and Jasper. This park is so pretty! I think we should come back when it's less crowded. I mean, if you want to," she said with rushed words.

"Oh you mean Giardini Pubblici? The Public Gardens?"

"Oh yeah! Yeah that's it!" she exclaimed excited. I imagined her eyes would be big and bright, and it made me smile.

"Okay, you must be at the International Festival of Modern Art." I smiled remembering the first time I'd been. It's set in a nature lover's dream, a beautiful park that sits along a river. The festival is a major event and happens every two years. It was a nice place to visit and I was glad that she got to take that in with her friends.

"Tell your friends to show you the statue of Garibaldi. It's a must-see. I don't want to keep you because there is a lot to see there, but ... I was wondering, maybe we can try to get together for lunch or dinner something else this week? I have to work during the day, so maybe we can fit it in or else do something on the weekend?"

"I'd really like that, Edward," she said. We ended the call, and I couldn't stop smiling. The day had been great so far. We hadn't made official plans or anything, but it was a start. I started thinking of the parks around the area … maybe a picnic at one of the smaller less known parks?

_*~*~*~BLUE~*~*~*_

Rosalie's car was not there when I finally came back home around six o'clock. I still hadn't had any interaction with her, and I was fine with that. I'd calmed down mostly because Bella didn't seem bitter. I knew it was probably going to be tense once we were back in the same room.

I walked straight to the kitchen to fix myself a snack and found Emmett sitting at the table with a bag of chips and a beer.

"Hey," I said meeting his eyes.

"You've been gone all day. I hope you're not trying to avoid us," he said.

"No, of course not. I was at the office catching up on work."

"All right, bro. Let's just get this out in the open. Tell me more about Bella. She looks young. How old is she?" Emmett said munching loudly on chips.

"She's twenty-three and from Seattle. I met her on the plane to Amsterdam. As it turned out, she was traveling alone and ended up being seated right next to me. It was a long plane ride, and we had a friendly conversation. I was intrigued by her beauty and our conversation, so I asked for her number. Things just got a little escalated on the plane."

"What do you mean escalated? You fucked her on the plane? I tried to do that once and it was all kinds of cramped, I couldn't even move my leg to get a good position-"

"Emmett, damn. You need to get a mind-to-mouth filter. Everything you say is so crass and blunt. Sometimes I feel like I'm the older sibling in our family. You probably really embarrassed Bella last night."

"Okay. My bad, and for what it's worth, I was teasing. She will need to ease up if she couldn't tell I was joking."

"Yeah, I know you were teasing, but not everyone knows your humor. But you know what I mean. So anyway, she fell asleep before I did. She must have been exhausted because she started mumbling things. They were random words at first. But then, I heard he say some things about having a houseboat, and um … it was like a sex dream."

"Whoa. Sex dream? How'd you know? Was it a coincidence that you ended up at our houseboat?"

"Shut the fuck up, Emmett. Geez, I'm trying to tell you a story. See, this is what I was trying to tell you yesterday. You don't have listening skills."

He put up his hands in an "okay already" manner.

"So she started really like getting into her dream, and I watched her. Just when I thought it was just gonna be just a few mumbled words and incomplete sentences, she moaned my name."

His eyebrows rose, but luckily I wasn't interrupted.

"So, I didn't know if she was awake or not. I thought it was my imagination, but she did it a second time. So I answered her. I whispered her name to see if she would respond. When I did, she pulled her blanket all the way up to her neck and just kept right on sleeping. She was quiet from then on, and I fell asleep soon after."

I paused before taking a deep breath and continuing.

"Who knows how much longer later, I felt her shift, and it woke me up. She wanted to get up and stretch, so I moved to let her get by. I saw her walking slowly toward the back of the plane. Shortly after she left, I followed her. I don't know what made me do it. I mean, I was just going to tell her that I needed to stretch if she caught me. She disappeared into the bathroom for just a few seconds. The door wasn't even locked, and I thought that must have been a sign. I don't know if she did that on purpose or not. I mean, how did she know I was going to follow her? Anyway, she came out, and she had these like beautiful looking bedroom eyes, and I couldn't help myself. So we fooled around, kissed and well you know," I said suddenly feeling very shy.

"Wow."

"I had to leave her when we landed. She was continuing on another flight to Venice, and I had to stay for that stupid meeting. The goodbye felt permanent though. I didn't want her to go. We kissed goodbye, and it wasn't awkward. It was like we had known each other for a long time. I already had this crazy kind of connection to her. I can't even describe how I felt. I just had to do something or say something to make sure that I got to know her better. I watched her as she walked away. I waited for her to turn around take one last glimpse and she didn't."

"Hmmm, what happened next?" Emmett nodded.

"I collapsed on one of the seats and looked out at her plane, just staring at it. I wondered if it looked creepy or if she saw me, but she never mentioned anything. I just thought to myself, 'Damn, I really don't want to let her go.' I texted her when I saw the plane start to move. I told her I wanted to be her guide around Italy and that I'd call her. It sounded just kind of formal. So as soon as I sent it, I sent another immediately. I told her I had a houseboat to show her. I had no idea if it would mean anything to her, but it turns out it did have meaning. I confessed to her earlier during our date; she actually was the one who brought it up."

Emmett looked lost in space. I tried to gauge his opinions, but he said nothing.

"So, you don't have any opinion on the matter?"

"You know me, Edward. I always have an opinion. I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but there is a difference between lust and love. Based on what you've told me and what I'd walked in on, this just seems like you are both acting on lust. There isn't anything wrong with that though."

I frowned. I knew we had sexual chemistry, but it was beyond that.

"But," Emmett started. "I can tell that you are sort of a protector for her. You had a comeback for everything Rosalie said. You spoke for her. I saw how you clutched her hand and how you guided her away. Actions sometimes say more than words. I know you wouldn't do that for just any girl."

"Bella is different… smart … and sexy. She's a teacher actually; she's off during the summer. It's weird how the world works. She actually teaches at Bertschi."

"No shit?" he said with wide eyes. "And you'd never seen her there before?"

"No, never. Maybe because she is a third-grade teacher? The pre-k building is probably separate from some of the older kids."

"Yeah, true," he said nodding.

I couldn't believe we were actually having a serious conversation. Emmett couldn't find any more humor in my situation. I guessed that my admission that she wasn't just any girl made this talk really tangible to him.

"So why was Rosalie being so bitchy yesterday?" I asked curbing the conversation.

"She's been really … emotional, like for at least a month," he said, looking back as if he expected Rosalie to be standing right behind him.

"Emotional? That's an understatement. Seemed like she had an agenda to be as rude as possible."

"God, Edward. Do I have to spell it out for you?" He said sounding frustrated. He pulled the hair on the back of his head.

"Yes. Apparently you do. Why are you snapping at me? I have no idea what you are talking about!" I exclaimed getting defensive.

"P-M-S," he said spelling the letters out slowly and shaking his head.

I started laughing. I didn't know if I really bought the excuse, but the way he said it so seriously was hilarious.

"Really? I mean. Isn't that only for like a week or a couple at max?"

I couldn't believe how the conversation had turned. _Why am I talking about Rosalie's PMS?_

"Hell if I know! All I know is it has never been this bad before. She's had like fucking PMS the whole damn month. She's been almost ripping my head off for little things and saying she has headaches basically daily. I'm tip-toeing around like I'm walking through a minefield! One minute she's lovey-dovey, and the next she is yelling at me for some stupid shit. She is driving me crazy. Shit, I was afraid to say anything in your and Bella's defense for fear that she would murder me in my sleep. I'm telling you now, bro if I mysteriously disappear or die, it's her. The good thing is she seems to be sleeping in a lot longer in the mornings, giving me a mini-break."

"All I know is I'd be really pissed if she had ruined this for me. Luckily, Bella seems to be a brave thing because she doesn't seem to be frightened of Rose."

"That_ is_ brave because even I'm afraid of Rose sometimes."

I sighed.

"It is, however, going to bring up the whole Tanya conversation a whole lot earlier than I anticipated. Now that it is out there, I'm going to have to explain our whole crazy relationship."

"I'm sorry for that Edward, really. I don't know. Rosalie and Tanya are best friends. You can bet that she's not going to like any of the women you date. Just stick to your guns. Do you ever see reconciliation with Tanya?"

My phone rang, and I looked down at the caller ID seeing that it was Tanya.

"Well speak of the devil," I said. "It's Tanya. Rosalie couldn't have spoken to her yet, right?"

Emmett just shrugged. I tried calculating the time difference but couldn't do it in my head. I thought it might be a nine-hour time difference during summer. I had come home sometime around three a.m. I counted backwards on my fingers. That would put it around six o'clock; they were behind Italy time so that would be six o'clock p.m.

_Shit._

"Hello?" I answered tentatively. I would love to ignore her, but with the time difference, I knew I'd only have so many hours in the day to talk with Emma and hear about her days and little summer adventures.

"Edward. Hey you! It's hard to remember what time to call you," she said.

"What's going on?" I asked, hoping this was just a friendly check in about Emma.

"Daaaddddyyyy!" Emma screamed in the background.

"I have her on speaker, Edward," Tanya said. She always had her on speaker because Emma wouldn't speak directly into the phone.

"Hi Emma, Daddy misses you!" I said, hearing my daughter's excitement from the phone. She sounded like she was jumping up and down. She was a bundle of energy, my little one.

"Yep! Daddy! I'm on the speaker phone!" she sang. "You knows what? It's almost around time for _Max and Ruby_, but Mommy said I could call you. I drawed you a picture too. And it has big cats and elephants, and I wrote my name on it in purple markers!" she said with excitement.

"I'll bet it's an awesome picture, my little bunny. Tell your mommy to send it to me so I can put it in my office."

"No, I'll bring it to you, Daddy! Mommy can drive in her car."

"No baby, remember I told you Italy is far away. We have to get on a plane. Plus Grandma and Grandpa are here to visit with you, darling," Tanya soothed.

"But I want to go there. Can I Daddy? Pweeease?"

I could almost picture Emma's lip trembling with her words and her big green eyes looking back at me. It broke my heart to hear her beg to visit me.

Tanya's parents, who had moved back to Texas after Tanya graduated, were staying at her house to visit with Tanya and Emma since they couldn't come very often. It was good to let Emma enjoy her other set of grandparents; they were good to her. But I also hated them with a fiery passion. Tanya's parents also hated that we were not married for Emma's sake. Forget marrying for love. They didn't have a very loving marriage themselves, so I guess it was an easy fix to them, just a piece of paper tying two people together. Whenever they were in town they made sarcastic and rude comments to me that made my blood boil. They'd comment on everything from the way I parented to my career choices. "You need a career that has stability," they told me. "Business careers are always changing and have the potential to fail. Then what are you going to do?" I guess the reason why it always came back to career choices was the fact that besides Emma and careers, we really didn't have much else to talk about. Needless to say, it was a big plus that I was able to get my ass out of town before seeing them this summer.

I hated to tell Emma no for anything.

"Well … " I started saying, trying to think of a way to let her down gently.

"Okay sweetie. You need to settle down. The cartoon is going to start. Tell your daddy bye."

"Bye Daddy! I love you!" she said, not at all as devastated as I thought she'd be. She quickly switched moods and focused on her cartoon.

"I love and miss you, Emma. Be a good girl for your mommy, okay?"

"Okay!" I heard her bounce away, singing as she got further out of earshot.

"Emma, don't jump on the sofa! You are going to fall and hurt yourself!" Tanya yelled.

I heard her fumble with the phone to turn off the speaker phone option.

"She's been bugging me to take her to visit. I told her _no_ already, but she just keeps asking," she said. "We took her to the zoo yesterday. She had fun, but she had more fun at the playground than looking at the animals."

"Good. Well, I'm glad she had fun," I said.

"So, anyway, how've you been?" she asked.

I hated the small talk. I loved talking to my daughter, but Tanya didn't do small talk. I could tell she knew something by the tone of her voice. I bit my tongue, trying not to be rude. "Fine. I just have tons to do over here with work."

"I talked to Rosalie," she said. It was obvious she didn't really care how I was. She just needed something to segue into what she _really_ wanted to talk about.

_Here we go. _

I didn't say anything because I was trying to figure out her tone.

"She said you met someone."

I rolled my eyes.

"That's what she said?" I scoffed.

I felt a headache coming on.

_*~*~*~BLUE~*~*~*_

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**A/N: I was told that for each review I receive, the pot at the end of the rainbow gets that much larger! I'll race you there! Please review and let me know what you think. ****  
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**Next chapter: Chapter 7: Blue Colored Heart Part II- ELECTRIC BLUE**

_Electric Blue is the color that most accurately describes the color of lightning and electrical sparks. We've got a lightning phone call to finish and some background information on Edward and Tanya's relationship. I also have a true actual storm brewing for ya. Doesn't necessarily mean thunderstorms are bad though. ;) Next chapter will be the end of Bella's first week in Italy! Hope to see ya there!_**  
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**THANK YOU!** to my readers, new and old. Thanks for your support in reading and commenting and recommending my story! Thanks to those of you putting my story in your favorites and alerts. It means so much to hear from you and see that you are enjoying the story. Really, everything helps even a smiley face for reviews.**  
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**THANK YOU!** to the beautiful LovelyBrutal for helping me manage my mistakes and providing feedback**. **

**Thank YOU!** to mcsc2008 & DeeDreamer at PTB. :)**  
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**If you are looking for something else to read, may I recommend: Everyone Else by E's My Brand of Heroin. Summary: I always thought marriage was forever. It's not something I take lightly. Rose and I always joked about how people got divorced because they were "not happy" anymore. Our response? "Well get happy." Even if it means having an affair? **

**http:/www. fanfiction. net/s/6551010/1/Everyone_Else (remove the spaces or find under my favorite stories link on my profile. Let her know I sent ya!)**

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With love from Texas ya'll!

xoxo

Lo


	7. Blue Colored Heart Part II:Electric Blue

**Stephenie Meyer had an epic dream. She owns everything that is Twilight.**

**Happy Heartward and Heartella reading!  
**

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**Chapter 7: Blue Colored Heart Part II: Electric Blue**

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_Electric Blue represents: __dynamic and dramatic emotions- an engaging color that expresses exhilaration. It __is also the color that most accurately describes the color of lightning and electrical sparks. _

_*~*~*~ELECTRIC BLUE~*~*~*_

**Edward**

**SUNDAY**

Tanya had been the hottest girl at my high school. She had long, straight, blonde hair with long bangs and the prettiest blue eyes. From far away, they simply looked blue, but up-close they were sparkling sapphires. The first day she came into our school, it was hard not to take immediate notice. She was what classic movies defined as an all-American beauty. Her face, toned body, and what I'd eventually see of her confident personality all added to her appeal. It was easy to understand all the attention she received from guys _and_ girls.

She arrived during the middle of the school year as a transferring sophomore. Rosalie was a sophomore too, and they had the majority of their classes together. In high school, Rosalie had been very outgoing and Ms. Popular. She wasn't intimidated or shy about approaching Tanya on her first day.

Rosalie and Tanya became best friends within a matter of weeks, so Tanya never really had to experience the loneliness of being a new student. She'd hang out with Rosalie, which then eventually included hanging out with Emmett and I as well. Being a freshman, I pretty much admired Tanya from afar. I'd told Emmett I was attracted to her, but with everyone else trying to get her attention, including upperclassmen, it seemed impossible for me.

I was surprised to learn that she was attracted to me as well. Our attraction for each other, combined with our teenaged hormones, gave us immediate, incredible sexual chemistry.

After Tanya and I had made the leap into sexual territory, it seemed the natural thing to become a "couple" even if the most we had in common was that we found each other attractive. I could say where to find her birthmark and the tiny moles that were scattered on her body, and I could most especially describe her eyes, but I didn't really feel like I knew her. We talked about stupid high school stuff; the latest bullshit gossip or football games, movies, and homework. I knew little about her family

Once she graduated and went off to college things became strained. I'd get jealous about guys she casually mentioned in conversations. She accused me of cheating with girls at our school. But still we remained together. The following year, when I had graduated, the ice was already too thin and it was shaky at best. I didn't really feel like trying to make it work.

I knew that the distance between us would be difficult when I left for school on the East coast and she stayed in Washington. Maybe I hadn't tried hard enough. I stopped listening when she talked about her job, her new friends, and her college life. I craved the freedom of being single again. I admit to being immature and playing up her jealousy by putting myself in situations that invited flirtatious behavior. I'd go to clubs and parties and generally live it up. We split up early in my freshman year of college because of our constant fighting over jealousy and insecurity. How could someone really have a long-distance relationship? Was it possible?

Our parents had always traveled in the same social circle and we'd always attend events and parties together. It had been awkward at first, but we slowly got to the point where we could have normal, civil conversations. We established a friendship, without the intimacy part. Back to square one.

It wasn't until after I'd finished with school, gotten my degree, and had to face the real world that I reflected on what my life had become. Wasn't I supposed to have found the woman I was going to marry? Where was she amongst all the women I had partied, kissed, and had sex with? Nothing in them seemed special.

It was weird coming back home after I had graduated college and hearing the news of Emmett and Rosalie's engagement. I was happy for them, but at the same time, I felt like I was being left behind. Hadn't we done almost everything together for the last few years? I felt like I had enjoyed my time in college, both socially and academically but when it was all said and done, and I was joining the real world, I felt incredibly lonely.

It wasn't until that particular moment- Emmett's engagement- that I began to see Tanya in a new light. I didn't want to end up alone. She was still available, not married, not engaged, yet she was as sexy as ever, and we had finally become friends. She had a promising future after completing school and we had found some common interests. She seemed more mature and we still had burning sexual chemistry. That was all it took to restart our flame. We got back together, but things weren't that easy. It couldn't really love someone who was catty and mean-spirited. We weren't good for each other.

This is why I question my feelings for Bella. She makes me feel something different. How does she make me feel like all the relationships I'd had with Tanya and the college girls were insignificant? Why did I feel an electrical spark with her that I couldn't explain?

_*~*~*~ELECTRIC BLUE~*~*~*_

Emmett met my gaze and just shook his head as he heard my tone of voice change. He walked out of the kitchen, sensing the tension thickening with my responses.

"I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, Edward. It's just that Rosalie said she looked really young. Do you really want some summer fling? What am I supposed to think if you just met and you were already-"

"Tanya. I'm not in the mood for your shit. Rosalie doesn't know jack shit about her and neither do you," I said as calmly as possible. "You are getting biased, third-party information. She is not that much younger than I am, and she is certainly not whatever you've wildly imagined." I took a bit of a defensive tone and my voice seemed to have climbed an octave. I pulled my hands roughly through my hair, trying to keep my composure.

"What the hell do _you_ even know about her?" she spat, revealing her own fiery attitude. "Rosalie told me you just met. You have been there, what, two or three days? You are giving hickeys like you're in high school again? You're acting just like you did in college. You have a daughter, Edward. It's time to grow up. She needs stability, not an endless cycle of women parading in and out of her life."

The anger that had been quietly boiling inside me burst into full-blown kettle-whistling mode.

"You are a fucking piece of work! Seriously? Stop trying to say this is all about Emma when you know this is all about you! How am I parading women around? You know I haven't introduced her to any of the women I've dated, not ever. You just need to get used to the fact that I'm going to date women who aren't you."

She listened and allowed me to vent, but snorted a laugh at my last statement.

I continued, "You and I haven't been in a real relationship in a long while. There's a reason for that. Stop this shit. You're jealous, just like when I was in college. I'm not going down that road with you again!" I took a big intake of air before continuing.

"We are not together and I don't need to share any details of my love-life with you."

"Oh, so now you have some fantastic love-life?" She laughed. If my eyes rolled back anymore into my head they might get caught.

"And I'm not asking you to share your nasty details," she said quickly.

_Yeah, because you know all the details already! _

"I don't say shit about the assholes you date and you've dated some real winners," I quickly added while she remained silent. The words came out softer and more controlled, but I wanted her to feel how I had felt when I was being attacked by people who have been in my life for so long. They knew nothing about Bella.

I immediately regretted saying the words. It made me seem like I actually cared who she dated, when I couldn't care less.

"Yeah. Just like you, Edward. What a winner you turned out to be. What a real stand-up man to leave me a year after Emma was born. "

I could almost picture her signature eye-roll and scowl. I imagined tears forming in her eyes from the way her words were starting to shake.

"We had problems way before Emma was born," I stated simply. It had been an understatement, but I didn't want to push it.

I rubbed circles on my temple.

"Why are you doing this to me? I feel so humiliated that I had to hear about this from Rose," she said.

"Why don't you tell me, Tanya? Did you ask her about me or did she freely tell you about it?"

I'd assumed Rosalie had called her, but I had started to think that Tanya had been the one to call. The silence seemed to stretch for an eternity. I waited to hear who had really called whom as I paced the room. I decided that I didn't really care. The point was Tanya knew probably every fucking detail because of Rosalie.

You said you didn't want a fight," I said.

"I'm not starting a fight! I asked you a simple question and you blew up! I'm not having this conversation with you anymore. We have been good lately and it's useless to get into an argument over who you choose to sleep with or whatever it is you're doing. We've been on a good streak, Edward, I just want us to stay there…for Emma," she said.

I rolled my eyes and, pointed a fake gun to my temple, and pulled the imaginary trigger. She was the one who had started it. I was just defending myself and Bella.

I grumbled something about wanting it to keep it civil too and hung up.

I needed liquor. I started looking around the kitchen and poured myself some scotch. I let the cool drink calm my nerves. A great thing about the house was that it was perfect for entertaining. It had a full-service bar with ingredients for basically any mixed drink.

I sat on a bar stool at the counter and nursed my drink, letting the edge roll off.

Showing her fantastic timing, Rosalie came bounding into the house and right into the kitchen just as I was starting to relax. We made eye contact and she looked like she'd just seen a ghost. She paused and stood in place. I knew we were going to get into it next.

My gaze dared her to speak first. She decided to ignore me and continued walking to the fridge. I heard the glass shelves clank as she searched for a drink.

"Hi, Edward," she said casually from behind the refrigerator door.

I had had enough for the day. All I wanted was to get it out and over with, and the sooner, the better. I didn't make any attempt to start off politely.

"What you did and said yesterday was completely out of line. It was a really fucking shitty thing to do. It was hurtful to both of us and rude!" I yelled.

She looked at me with wide eyes.

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered.

"Sorry? You think I'm just going to drop it and pretend everything is cool with us? What you did was fucked up. It was beyond fucked up. What a great first impression you made on her. You have no idea who Bella is or what she's about," I snapped.

"Edward, I know I was rude. I admit it…but I feel really bad for what I said to Bella. I'm sorry. Truly. Maybe I can call her and apologize or something?"

"Call her? What, are you out of your mind?"

_She really has lost it._

I wasn't buying what she was saying. She was literally night and day.

"We'd been on the plane forever, Edward. I was cranky and tired, and I'd been having a really sucky day. I didn't want Emmett to go by himself, so even though I didn't feel like going, I did," she continued.

"I don't need a fucking spy to blab about my personal life to Tanya the first chance she gets. What did you do, call her as soon as I left?"

She stared at me and shook her head.

"Look, I've just talked to Tanya and she's already confessed," I said with a huff. I definitely needed more alcohol in my body.

"Wait. Confessed? About what?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose and shut my eyes tight.

"She told me you talked about Bella and the houseboat."

"I was just…upset. Like I said, I'd had a bad day and I was just angry that you were there all carefree and lovey-dovey with this girl who looks like she's eighteen. I just knew it couldn't possibly be serious. You'd never talked about her; you had left just a few days ago." She paused for a moment when she saw my eyebrow raise. "You also know I think you and Tanya are just perfect for each other. A child needs both parents in the household and it sucks that Emma doesn't have that. Do you know just how precious having a baby is? Not everyone gets to have them!"

I looked at her, dumbstruck.

_Now she's insulting me on my parenting. Who says you need two parents living together to have a happy child? Why is she talking about the preciousness of a baby? I don't take Emma for granted._

"You just can't stop with the insults, can you? Who are you or anyone else to tell me what you think is right? This is my life. Yes, Tanya and I have a beautiful daughter together, but that doesn't mean we are destined to be together. We're not good for each other."

She looked defeated. I was glad that she was starting to feel attacked or threatened.

"Edward, I'm tired and I feel sick. Are you done with this conversation? I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings or hers. Really. I'm not being sarcastic or anything. Maybe we can all hang out or something and try again?"

She sounded sincere. I nodded and she passed by, briefly squeezing my shoulder and walking quietly out of the room. I still wanted to yell at her and tell her that it wasn't okay to say shit like that. Rosalie was a grown woman; and she knew the weight of words.

I took a long gulp of my drink and let it settle my nerves.

_I didn't think it would be a good idea for them to meet again anytime soon, was it? _

_*~*~*~ELECTRIC BLUE~*~*~*_

**Bella**

I was dead on my feet when I walked back inside Alice and Jasper's apartment. We'd spent all day at the festival and had an early dinner. I was exhausted and ready to crash. I still had a bit of pain when I walked and the bruises, but little dabs of makeup made me presentable.

The weather seemed unusually warm. Alice had told me that the summers were always hot and often humid too. It was weird that the weather had been so beautiful and breezy the day before and then it became warm and sticky when I was going somewhere outside.

Although I'd seen many fabulous pieces of artwork and had a great experience taking everything in, I was most excited to hear from Edward. His voice made me forget about the beauty of the country and culture for a few minutes. I shut everything off around me and focused solely on him. After speaking with him, my smile just wouldn't go away. Jasper teased me the most about my unbelievable perkiness. Alice didn't tease me, however, she had that far-away look in her eyes that made me think she was imagining either incredibly romantic things or, knowing her mind, planning on where we should have sex next. "Oh young love!" she sang. I laughed because it was so damn ridiculous.

I had left Seattle for a change of pace, to leave James and his new lover behind, to not pass the reminders of him in my city. I left with a heart that didn't even want to try anymore. It wasn't worth the time, the pain, the heartache of letting someone in, of loving someone. And maybe I couldn't say I loved Edward, but he made me believe that it was worth it to try.

_Love is worth it._

How did I get to be in this gorgeous country on vacation, day-dreaming about Edward and when and where we would meet up next?

My confidence shot right back up after my conversation with Alice and Jasper. Sure, we'd had a disagreement about whether it was worth it to date a man who had a child. I knew there might be complications with his daughter's mother, especially if she was single, but she wasn't here and we were all adults. People dealt with these situations every day.

Edward and I were still learning about each other, but every new conversation we had just made me more and more excited about discovering the things that we had in common.

James had hurt my badly, but I'd already determined that Edward was definitely nothing like him.

What I did know was that I was on vacation and enjoying my summer. I wasn't planning a future with Edward. I was just beginning to know him, and okay, explore him as well. I'd try to be honest with him and if things didn't work out, I'd at least have the time we spent together in Italy_. _But I didn't want to think about what the end of summer meant.

I had to live in the present.

I wasn't becoming a step-mother to his child, and in Italy, I wasn't in competition with anyone. At least there was no one I was aware of.

Once inside the apartment, I said goodnight to Alice and Jasper and went to my room. I slipped on some sleep shorts and a tank, did my night routine and collapsed onto my bed. I'd made a mile-high list of things I wanted to visit or do while in Italy. I hoped I could get to as many as possible during the time I had left, but I already felt worn out.

_*~*~*~ELECTRIC BLUE~*~*~*_

**_THURSDAY_**

Four days had passed since I'd last seen Edward.

I felt needy. I missed Edward. I missed the feel of his strong arms wrapped around my body, the way his deep, sonorous laugh sounded, and his beautiful soulful deep-filled eyes. Did I expect him to forgo his job and keep me company? I was horny. I regretted not packing my trusty rabbit vibrator. Who knew going without it would make so much of a difference? Maybe having a sex dream before coming on my trip had been some sort of sign.

_Hello! Pay attention to your dreams. They have signs!_

Check-out time was two in the afternoon and after packing our bags, we were piled back into the car and headed back to the apartment.

I had dark black sunglasses on, but the sun was still too bright and cheery for me. The light cut into the car, and straight into my eyes. I had to squint even from behind my glasses to get a good look at the passing scenery. Alice and Jasper were quiet. Almost too quiet. The radio was playing and Alice was stuck in a book. Every once in a while she'd glance back to see if I was awake. The last time she checked on me, the sparkly "c" on her Chanel shades almost sent a laser of reflected light into my eyeball.

"Geez, Alice, those Chanel shades are dangerous," I said, shielding my eyes with my hand. "I bet you could use those instead of a magnifying glass to start a fire," I told her.

"You want to know what could cause a fire? My rage when Alice told me how much she paid for those sunglasses," Jasper joked, while looking at me from the rearview mirror.

"They were on sale!" Alice said, turning her attention back to Jasper.

"You call saving $20 a sale?" he asked, looking at me for support.

I knew better than that. My loyalty would always lie with my best friend.

"Heck yeah!" I laughed.

As I stared out of the window, I thought about Edward. He was always on my mind.

Edward and I had preliminary plans to go out again, but we hadn't made _actual_ plans. He'd apologized for Rosalie so many times and for not making official plans and I had to keep reminding him that it was not his fault. He was swamped with work and wanted to make sure nothing was rushed when we went out again. He'd tried to take me to lunch earlier in the week, but because his schedule was subject to change, our schedules kept clashing. It was already near the end of the week. Time hadn't been just coasting along; it was literally moving at the speed of light.

I hadn't suggested any date ideas either, so I suppose it was partially my fault. I wasn't an old-fashioned girl, but I still wanted him to be the one to suggest another date.

_Stop being a whiny, needy girl. You are a grown-ass woman!_

I wanted to be a bit greedy; I craved his attention.

As the boss, he could set his own hours, but his schedule was unpredictable. With his family in town, maybe it was a coincidence, but it seemed that they were making him work harder. I tried to push that to the back of my mind. _Not everyone is out to get you._ Yet admittedly, it hung there, always making me think that everyone was a plotting some master plan to force me away. It definitely sucked, because I had plenty of free time. We'd checked-in with text messages throughout the day and lightly talked, mostly during the twenty minutes he had for lunch until he was off to another meeting.

When he got home in the evening, we'd chat and I'd tell him all about the new places Alice and Jasper had taken me. I may have only imagined it, but he seemed a little hurt that I'd traveled to Rome already and explored the famous Colosseum. That was where I was returning from. It was on Alice's must see list too. I didn't know what I'd get to do with Edward, but figured it would mostly be local, since he had to work. Since we were in Rome, I had insisted that we also visit the Roman and Imperial Forums. I'd heard there were excavations that were still in progress and I was excited to see some history come to life. It was thrilling and interesting.

We were trying to fit a lot of things on my to-see list while in Italy. Luckily, Jasper had some rare vacation time, and had planned the time so he could act as chauffeur for me and Alice during my stay. Alice was happy because she was able to play tourist too. She hadn't been to a lot of places in Italy because even though they lived here, Jasper didn't have time.

Because of everything we did in Rome, we knew it would be an overnight trip. It was about a five hour drive. Alice wanted to take the train, but Jasper said it would be a waste of money. They both complained about sharing driving duties so much that I wished we had taken the train so they'd shut up. As the car coasted on the road and as my friends' chatter died down, I was lulled to sleep.

I was woken about an hour later by a loud vibration. I jumped back, forgetting where I was and banged my head on the glass window.

"Ow!"I yelped, rubbing my head.

Jasper looked back with an eyebrow raised and Alice giggled from the front seat. Best friends. Were they supposed to laugh at your misfortunes? That's all I knew with Alice.

Taking a look at my phone, I saw that the vibration was a text from Edward.

**Hey, so I kind of really, really want to see you tonight. Do you have plans?**

I guessed I had been holding my breath, because I let it out in a big whoosh. He kind of "really, really" wanted to see me? Even if I did have plans, I was needy and I wanted to see him regardless. I typed up my response.

**I'd like to see you, too. We are on our way back from Rome. We'll be home hopefully about 6?**

He responded right away.

**Great! I'll call you when I get out of work. See ya soon.**

_*~*~*~ELECTRIC BLUE~*~*~*_

There was not a cloud in the sky and the sun was still shining brightly down on Alice, Jasper, and I as we walked from our car into the apartment. It was another scorcher of a day. It was the type of day that had multiple showers to deal with the sweat written all over it. The walk from the car to the door made me feel sticky and I immediately headed inside and showered. I'd spilled the mini text conversation I'd had to Alice and Jasper because I couldn't keep my excitement to myself. Jasper suggested having Edward over for dinner and I thought that might be nice. Since I'd met his brother and sister-in-law, I felt like it would be a great start to introduce my friends. Also, I kind of felt like him knowing my friends would give him a glimpse into knowing about me.

Edward called me around six to tell me that he was almost done with work. He asked me if there was anything I wanted to do.

My body wanted to say,_ "Oh, yeah I can think of a few things to do." _

Instead, I decided to go for a much milder suggestion. He said he'd love to come over and he was hungry.

_Yep. I was hungry for something too._

He told me he would come straight from work, and that was how I saw my first glimpse of businessman Edward. He wore black slacks, a crisp light-blue shirt, and dark-blue tie. I wanted to jump him and press him between my thighs. I liked the way businessman Edward looked, sexy and in-charge. I wanted to lick him from head to toe and use his tie for something naughty. It was hard to concentrate on the dinner when all I wanted was him in all of his sexy glory. Instead, he sat beside me at the tiny breakfast table inside the apartment.

I was pleased at the easy way he talked with Jasper and Alice. They seemed like we were all just old friends. Jasper seemed to take the lead in conversation, asking about Edward's career as Alice looked at me when he'd talk. I definitely felt like she was telling me she approved from across the table. We chatted about our trip into Rome and how exciting it was. Edward had only been once before to both of the places we'd visited before, and said he hoped to go back.

"So, did you really cook this, Jasper?" Edward asked when we were done with the meal.

"Yes, yes I did," he said with a smile, showing off a proud expression.

"Wow. This is really amazing. I think I should probably learn to cook, but it's just so much easier to get take-out and free-load off my family," he joked.

"Oh, believe me. He knows he's good. You telling him is only going to make his head big!" I said, laughing. I unconsciously set my hand on Edward's leg. I felt the cool smoothness of his pants. He looked a bit surprised, but turned to meet my gaze as he smiled. He took my hand under the table and linked it with his. It was a simple gesture, but it made me feel giddy inside. The air was filled with a kind of nervousness. I really cared what my friends thought of him and I hoped that he could tell how much they meant to me.

"He sure does have something big," Alice said. "Don't you honey?"

Jasper flashed a smile that was clearly proud.

_If it were a contest, I'm pretty sure Edward would win._

"Oh geez, Alice! Control your hormones in front of guests," I joked.

"I can't help it if I have a hot hubby," she said before leaning into Jasper and giving him a kiss. I felt a twinge of jealousy. I wanted to kiss Edward so badly, but I didn't feel comfortable kissing him in front of them yet.

After dinner, Jasper turned on the Wii for Family Game Night and we played a long-ass game of The Game of Life. I liked how competitive Edward was; he was really focused on the game and sulked when he got something didn't go as planned. I ended the game with two million dollars and three children, and Edward ended up with six million dollars and four children. Alice and Jasper each ended up broke with two and six kids, respectively. It was fun, but I desperately wanted time alone with Edward. By the time the game finished, it was almost ten thirty and we all were starting to yawn. Finally, Jasper and Alice said goodbye and headed off to bed. As soon as they left, I leaned in and grabbed the sides of Edward's face, kissing him softly. We moved slowly, our head shifting to start a slow rhythm. His hands drifted to my exposed legs, as I had been wearing shorts. I felt the hesitance of his touch, like he wanted to continue and maybe was uncertain. When he pulled away, I was a bit disappointed to say the least.

"I have to go. I have a meeting first thing in the morning." He placed his hand on the side of my neck.

"Oh…" I said. I could hear the disappointment in my voice. "I understand."

He leaned into my neck and kissed me, once on my neck, one on my chin, and finally he met my lips on the third time. It was the sexiest kiss I think I'd ever received. Maybe it wasn't as sexually charged, but it meant something to me. It was careful and if a kiss could talk, I'd think it was telling me that he cared about me.

I saw him shift and could see the hardness of his cock pushing forward on his slacks_. Is it normal to scan his lap for signs of his arousal? _

"I'm wondering if you'd like to have a picnic tomorrow for lunch?" he asked, rubbing my shoulders.

"Yeah! I would love too!"

"Cool. I have that meeting, but I should be done around noon. I'll need to be back at four, but we should be able to have a nice lunch. I'm thinking we can head over to Parco delle Rimembranze. It's a park and since you like history, I think you might appreciate it."

I was so excited for the following day that I almost forgot I was still craving Edward.

_It's not always about sex_, I reminded myself.

This time, I didn't have liquid courage to say what I wanted to do with his tie, and so the night ended with just a great dinner and introduction to my friends. It hadn't ended as I hoped, but the night was fun and I got a little time to satisfy a bit of my hunger for Edward.

_*~*~*~ELECTRIC BLUE~*~*~*_

Jasper and Alice dropped me off at his work building office. We decided it would be faster for me to go there to meet him. The park he was taking me to was in the opposite direction of the apartment and we'd get to spend more time together before he had to come back.

The outside of the building was very intimidating, sandwiched between other multi-story buildings on a busy street. Inside, it was very elegant. The floors were brightly polished black and beige marble. Edward had told me to go ahead and check-in with the secretary, so as I exited the elevator onto his floor, I walked into a huge main room. The space was wide open, and there were tons of both windows and people around. Most of the people seemed to be in a big hurry. After I took in the room, I walked toward the reception desk in the center of the room. The desk was so big that I didn't see anyone at it until I was practically on top of it.

A woman sat behind the desk typing furiously on a computer. She looked to be about my age, if not younger. Her hair seemed to be professionally styled. It was long and honey-golden with soft curls. Her makeup was flawless and she was wearing a professional outfit. I had time to take in all of the details about her because I guess I was unassuming because it took her a few minutes to even acknowledge I was there. I felt completely underdressed in my dark-blue skinny jeans and layered, green tank top.

"Yes? How can I help you?" she asked in flawless English, though she was clearly Italian.

"I'm here to meet Edward Cullen," I answered.

She looked confused for a minute.

"Was he expecting you ? Can I get your name?"

"Bella Swan."

She typed something on her computer and then used her headset to call someone.

"Is the meeting out yet? Uh huh. Okay."

She stepped out from behind the desk and ushered me down a long hallway, passing another unattended desk, and into a huge office. The office's walls were mostly bare, but there was a bookshelf full of books and a computer with dual monitors on top of a large desk. Two leather chairs were in front of the desk and one leather love seat was positioned in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"The meeting is running a bit over. He told one of the interns to have you wait in his office. If you'd like anything, please tell Jessica to get it for you. She's Mr. Cullen's assistant."

"Thank you," I said, smiling.

I sat down on the loveseat and gazed out. It couldn't have been a more perfect day to go for a picnic. The sky was a beautiful pale blue. The sun peeked out in short increments behind the fluffy looking clouds. The clouds moments of shade made the day more bearable than the bright, sunny, and cloudless day we'd had previously.

After waiting for twenty minutes, Edward strolled inside of his office with an apologetic smile.

"Hi," he said, sitting down beside me on his couch and squeezing my thigh.

"Hi," I said back.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. One of our clients was late, and it stalled the meeting."

"Oh that's o-"

He pressed his lips to mine in a short soft kiss before I could finish my sentence. It was so automatic now, like we were an official couple. It was a kiss to say that we missed each other and were happy to see one another. The door to his office was still ajar and I could see a woman pretending to be filing or something outside his office, but she was definitely spying. I hadn't seen her when I came in and I wondered if she was his personal secretary.

He looked good. Really good. He was in another business suit and this time wearing a crisp white shirt and a tie that matched his green eyes.

"You look sexy," I blurted out, unable to control how excited I was to be here with him.

He laughed and shook his head.

"I feel stuffy." He loosened his tie with one hand." And you look sexy yourself," he said with a wink.

It was too bad we were in public and would be for a while. We got up once he was ready.

As we walked out, the woman that I'd noticed spying on us came up to Edward. She told him that the file he had requested would be on his desk. I took the time to look the girl over, big brown eyes, definitely American, dark brown hair, very petite, and very tan. She was pretty. She looked at Edward with something like desire and I wanted to grab his hand and tell her back off, but I didn't want to make him seem unprofessional. Also, I had no idea what to call what we had. I started thinking thought back on my past relationships and wondered if I'd ever had the whole boyfriend/girlfriend conversation. It was always the hardest thing for me, to wonder what they were thinking without jumping the gun and making assumptions about what I thought we had. I think mostly it was just assumed. Still, I felt confident that he considered me to be more than just a friend.

We walked into a room with at least ten refrigerators. Edward gathered the items he had brought. We headed down in the elevator with Edward carrying a garment bag, gym bag, and a bag with what I assumed was our lunch.

"I hope you like the lunch. I cooked it myself," he said.

I raised an eyebrow, "Oh Really?"

"Well, I put the sandwiches together myself," he replied joking.

At the car, he fumbled with putting everything into the trunk of his car. He opened up the passenger door for me and, ran back with his gym and garment bags, and came back in a plain white tee and jeans.

He still looked fantastic.

_*~*~*~ELECTRIC BLUE~*~*~*_

The ride to the park wasn't very long. On the way over he told me that he remembered coming over as a teenager, but hadn't been since. He remembered loving it because it was not usually busy and less well known to tourists. He told me the translation of the name, The Gardens of Remembrance. The park was dedicated to soldiers that had died during the Second World War. I could tell that the park was tranquil since it was hidden by tall trees in an area far away from the bustle of the city. It was perfect.

We walked along the park's paths and stopped every now and again to take a look at the statues and plaques. He held my hand in one of his and a picnic basket in the other. I thought it was cute that he owned one, and I let him know. He claimed that he had to search his house for it and borrowed it from his mom.

The park was filled with tall trees and flower gardens and plenty of park benches. He asked if I wanted to do the good old-fashioned type picnic out on the grass or if I wanted to sit in one of the many benches. It just seemed so much more romantic to say that I had a picnic in Italy, so I opted for that choice. By the time we had arrived near the area that was available for picnic use, the wind had picked up, tossing my hair into my face.

"Well this is nice!" I said. It was shady and windy but the grass was so green and surrounded by so many trees. He set out a blanket and settled down. I had to keep pushing my hair back to keep it out of my face.

"I was worried that I'd have to change my clothes because I'd be all sweaty before returning to work," he answered.

_I know another way you can get sweaty._

He set up everything neatly and we began eating our lunch and enjoying the park's beautiful scenery. When we had moved on to a dessert of mixed fruit and wine, I thought it was pure, sweet heaven.

"Look at you being sweet, and planning something so thorough," I said.

"I wanted to make it special. And I really am sorry for everything Rosalie said. Maybe I didn't respond the way I should have. I'm sorry we haven't gotten together before this, too."

"Geez, Edward, you don't have to apologize. It's totally alright. I probably wouldn't have changed anything…really. I had a really great time and I'm just really glad you were my seatmate."

He smiled widely.

"Yeah? Great."

There was a bit of a pause before he continued.

"I hope you know that I will explain whatever you'd like to know about my ex. I just really didn't want to talk about it so early on in our relation-"

He stopped abruptly.

_Did he just…_

I think I held my breath. Relationship. I think the shock may have registered in my face.

"I mean, I'm not saying that we…" he started. "I mean I do think that…"

He popped his knuckles. It was one of my pet peeves. I grabbed his hands.

"Baby, don't do that. It makes me cringe," I said grabbing his hands.

I don't know why I had called him baby. Had I called him that before, I wondered. It was just automatic.

"What?"

"Popping your knuckles or any other… bone that pops. It's like nails on a chalkboard for me. I laughed nervously.

His expression changed into amusement. It was like he enjoyed learning that tiny fact about me. I didn't want to bring us back on track, but I had to continue.

"Hey, listen. I appreciate you not wanting to bring up your past, but I understand that she will always be in your life. I know that your daughter is your family, and I'm not scared of that. I'd be lying if I didn't say my worst fear is that I would come into your life for a summer and not be memorable. That you wouldn't remember my name… That I'd think back on my time and remember the sights and smells and touches and feel like it was one-sided…"

"Bella, how could I forget you?"

The wind was blowing so hard that the trees were losing leaves and swaying in the wind. We started feeling tiny droplets of rain coming down.

"Do you think there's going to be a storm?" I asked, switching topics. I was answered by a loud clap of thunder.

We looked at each other and started furiously packing our picnic items back inside the basket. By the time the picnic was packed up, the droplets of water had become a steady misty rain.

"C'mon, let's get out of here!" Edward shouted over the wind. He took my hand and we started walking. After just a few steps, we had to start jogging because the claps of thunder were getting louder and closer together, and we started seeing lightning in the distance. By the time we got to the car, our clothes were soaked, and there were no other cars in the parking lot. I guessed everyone had seen the shift in the weather, except us. My hair was stuck my face and I felt bad about getting into his car while I was soaking wet. We seemed to have made it just in time, because the lightning and thunder were practically right on top of us. The rain came down in sheets that made it really hard to see out of.

"Wow. We made it just in time," I said. "Do you think we should wait it out? I get scared driving in the rain."

"I was just going to suggest we wait here until the rain clears up."

As we sat there, listening to the rain pound against the car, it reminded me of my childhood. I thought it would be nice to share a story about the rain.

"I had a summer rain ritual when I was about ten to maybe thirteen. My dad had an old car parked in the driveway that didn't work. During the summer when he was out at work, whenever it started raining, I would dig into the refrigerator and pantry and take out the most mismatched foods." He looked at me confused. "I'm talking pickles, grapes, oranges, carrots, rocky road ice cream, and pretzels. I'd put them on a plate or containers and run into the car. Then, I'd have a rain picnic. I liked the way the rain hit the glass and loved being in the thick of it, just like we are now. I loved when it was a thunderstorm the best. The rain was nice, but there was something thrilling about being outside when everyone else was seeking shelter away from the storm. Sometimes, I still occasionally do that to help me think."

"So, you just ate there in the rain? By yourself?"

"I would bring a book in with me to keep me occupied. But even if I didn't have a book, I'd munch on my food and just enjoy the sounds of the water and thunder. Alice was at my house a lot during the summers, so I'd bring her with me during those times and we'd laugh and eat junk food."

"That was a cute story. That sounds fun. I'll need to try that someday."

"We can," I said pointing to the picnic basket that he had shoved into the back of the car.

"Meet you in the back?" I asked. I didn't wait for his response. I jumped out into the cold rain, opened the back door and scooting inside. Seconds later, he joined me.

"So, what do you have left?" I asked.

"We've still got some more wine and our fruit cups. Too bad we don't have pickles and ice cream." He smirked.

"Still sounds good to me."

I munched on the mixed fruit cup as he poured some wine and let the smell of rain on our clothes take over my senses.

Since we are talking about summers, Emmett and I used to play on the slip 'n slide basically every day. One day when there was a downpour, I remember we had a competition to see who could slide the farthest on the slip 'n slide. Wherever we landed we would stretch out our hands and we'd mark the locations with rocks, trying to beat each other's slide. It got more and more ridiculous where we were skidding onto the grass and mud."

I shook my head and laughed. _Boys._

"So, Emmett had just slid almost a full head above where I had left off. So I backed up and ran with full force, except I tripped and landed face first onto a metal stake that was holding the slip 'n slide in place. I ended up bloody and cried like a big baby. Turns out I had to get stitches to repair the gash. He turned and pointed to a point near his jaw. You see that?"

I put my hand across it and traced it lightly. I wouldn't have ever noticed it. I could definitely see it, but I didn't know it had such a cute story attached to it.

"If I had a scar, I'd want it to be for something like that. Maybe I need to try that." I laughed.

The rain had not yet let up. The rain was coming down even harder, if that was possible, and the lightning and thunder were still violently crashing.

I didn't know what made me do it. Maybe it was because we had just shared something personal or shared personal stories, or maybe it was just that the rain made me feel romantic, or the hypnotic way he gazed at me, or even the wine. I put my glass aside and straddled his lap. He tucked his glass inside the open basket and put his hands around my waist.

"God, Bella," he hummed on my neck. I felt his arousal through his jeans. I shifted, probably making the situation harder for him. When he began kissing me, it seemed so delicate, and I imagined it was because of the last time I'd ended up with a hickey that had finally disappeared. He was making me feel fragile, like a porcelain doll. Though I'd liked hard and fast, the slow, and sensual and delicate kissing made my heart flutter. The tint of the windows and the fog had collected on the windows while we talked gave us plenty of privacy.. And so the delicate process of finding pleasure in a cramped backseat began.

His hands fumbled with the three buttons on my jeans and he slipped them off. His hardness was teasing me and I rocked against it, feeling it press into the thin layer of my panty. We kissed passionately as I tried to feel him through his jeans with my hands. He shifted, almost knocking the wine glasses down and moving the basket out of the way. He pushed his own jeans down as I gazed down at the muscles that became exposed. I was excited at the prospect of what we would be doing. My shirt was lifted over my head, giving a tiny break in the fury of kisses that had become more and more deep. My light pink and white polka dot bra was shifted up and into the perfect position as he kissed and massaged my breasts. His tongue rounded my breasts and his teeth pulled lightly on my sensitive and hard nipples. He moved his hand to my butt, and grabbing and grasping.

My hands rolled down his boxers, springing his cock free. I worked his cock with my hands and we both moaned, our sounds of sexual relief mixing with the thunder. The flashes of lightning lit up the darkened car. His fingers found their way into my panties and he began to finger me as I shifted my hips and rocked. When I couldn't take the teasing any more, I took his hand and licked the juices off of his fingers.

He moved to get a condom and in one push he was inside of me. The pleasure overtook me right away and I didn't think I had any staying power. It was too good and I wanted him so badly. I swayed against him, back and forth, while we both moaned and grunted and expressed our pleasures in broken words. He lifted me up and down onto his lap while I rolled my hips. He spanked my ass occasionally as I tugged on his hair. Our kisses were occasionally interrupted by moans as we found angles that helped the warmth spreading through our bodies take over. I felt each amazing inch hit the metaphorical pleasurable button inside me, over and over. I cried out my pleasure in ecstasy, as did he. I switched before I could hit my ultimate high to sit down onto him reverse cowgirl to help find new pleasure points and lengths. I gripped the headrest of the seat in front of me and used it to make me lifting me up and down easier. The feeling of his hands over my breasts and ass, feeling his cock at a new angle, the rain, the thunder, the lightning made it feel incredible. I cried out, dropping my head back. I found my release and tightened around his cock, squeezing and hoping he would find his release soon. After a few more rocks, we were both were panting, sweating, and smiling. I looked back at him, wiped the sweat from his forehead and kissed the skin him where my fingers had just left. He took my hand and kissed my palm.

We got ourselves situated. I leaned onto his broad shoulders and closed my eyes to hear our breathing even out. He draped a hand over my waist as we basked in the afterglow. He played with my hair and I felt so safe and secure in his arms as the rain finally started to break.

"Pinky?" he asked softly.

I opened my eyes but didn't say anything.

"Would you like to be my girlfriend?"

I heard an audible gulp as the words came out shaky.

I hadn't heard something so innocent since high school. But it wasn't just something to say, he sounded genuine. When I turned to face him, he searched my eyes and it was the sincere look in his face that had me convinced.

I answered with a kiss.

"I'd _love_ to be your girlfriend."

It took me until just that moment to figure out something that had bothered me so much in previous relationships. I shouldn't have to guess or question the motives of the men I dated. It was possible for someone to tell me what they were feeling and really, truly mean it. I felt the truth reach from his words all the way to my heart.

We had weathered the storm, literally as well as figuratively.

_*~*~*~ELECTRIC BLUE~*~*~*_

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**A/N** I was told that blowing out a candle and reviewing this chapter would make your wildest wish come true_. :) Please review and let me know what you think. I love to hear the takeaways and thoughts on particular lines/moments that stood out.  
_

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**This chapter will conclude the first week in Italy. Next chapter begins week two.**

Wow! No cliffys this time!

Ahh, new love. So do we like that Bella/Edward are now "confirmed" as being in a relationship? I don't think we anticipated rainy car sex did we? We now know a bit about Tanya/Edward's history, but you know...there's always more to a relationship. Rosalie is still acting strange and we have another meeting of Rosalie and Bella coming up. What will happen when they meet again? **  
**

Thank yous:

Thank you to anyone who has read/reviewed/pimped my story. My story is the WIP (Work-in-progress) of the Week on the Indie Fic Pimp blog. Welcome to those of you who were referred based on the review by the wonderfully talented phoebespromise. I will link on my profile or go here to read: http:/ /indieficpimp. blogspot . com/2011/06/wip-of-week-613-619. html

Thank you to LovelyBrutal who has helped me with editing and pre-reading from the very beginning of this story.

Thank you to my new beta from PTB, Xochina.

Thank you to my girls on twitter who keep me entertained and especially to DreamQuill, who has been kind enough to rec my story to her tons of loyal readers. She has written very successful stories and knows how to write hot lemons. She also nicknamed this Edward, "Heartward" and I have added "Heartella" for Bella. Check out her stories on my profile's favorite author page.

My twitter name has changed. Feel free to follow me: Lo21_ for news on ACoMH and general Twi fangirling. :)

**Next Chapter: Chapter 8 Purple Colored Heart**

_Purple represents: Wisdom, dignity, independence and creativity. Purple has been used to symbolize magic and mystery. Purple is the color of Spirituality. It urges power within, not the kind of power that needs to control or dominate others, but power rooted in connection to Spirit._

With love from Texas ya'll!

xoxo

Lo


	8. Purple Colored Heart

A/N #1: So sorry for the delay in this chapter. I'll blame the reason at the end of my chapter. Hope you enjoy! :)

**Stephenie Meyer had an epic dream. She owns everything that is Twilight.**

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**Chapter 8: Purple Colored Heart**

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_Purple represents wisdom, dignity, independence and creativity. Purple has been used to symbolize magic and mystery. Purple is the color of Spirituality. It urges power within, but it is not the kind of power that needs to control or dominate others. _

_*~*~*~PURPLE~*~*~*_

**Edward**

After about twenty minutes of relaxing in the back of my car, I drove Bella back to her apartment. She invited me inside so I could clean up and change back into my business clothes. All I wanted to do was just lie in bed and enjoy the time I could spend with her. Unfortunately, I had to get back to work.

We said our goodbyes after we'd made new plans for the weekend, and said we'd definitely try to get together during the week. Bella mentioned wanting to see an Italian beach and I had a couple of ideas of where to take her.

I walked inside my office with a huge smile and wished it were already the weekend. The faster the days came, the closer Bella would be leaving back to Seattle. I, on the other hand, was forced to stay behind and finish work.

I also felt a huge relief since I knew we had actually put a name to what we were doing together. The next time I'd introduce her to anyone; it would be so much easier to say that she was my girlfriend. There was something silly about the word, girlfriend, childish even, that made me feel like I was back in high school. I liked it though.

"You look like you're in a good mood," Jessica stated blandly as she followed me into my office.

Her tone really wasn't anything new. She was so uptight, I wondered if she just needed to _get some_ to get her to lighten up. There was a brief moment in time where I thought she was attractive. It took all of maybe fifteen minutes to find out that I didn't really have to hold back any hidden burning desire for her. Jessica's personality was incredibly dull, and the moments when she actually made jokes, she was stiff and awkward, and laughed with a cackle that could rival that of a classic witch. Worst of all, she was a downer and could be really judgmental. Jessica had been hired by my father, Carlisle, and had been working for me for about two years, both in Seattle, and in Italy. She was excellent at her job and undeniably kept me on schedule and task, so it didn't matter that we weren't compatible on a social level.

"I am." I smiled.

Of course I had been. I'd asked Bella to be my girlfriend, and she hadn't looked at me funny or laughed or kept me waiting for agonizing minutes while she decided. It had been surprising to me and maybe even corny to ask her that way, but it felt like the right time. There was no point in dancing around the issue. I knew I wanted to be around her as much as possible.

"Well then… welcome back to reality." I didn't miss the sarcastic tone in Jessica's voice. "You really shouldn't have taken such a long lunch. You missed two calls from Mr. Alistar. He said that he needs to meet with you soon to discuss the expansion. Apparently Mr. Black just flew into Amsterdam and is eagerly waiting on the details." Mr. Alistar was the head of the Amsterdam office and one of our business partners.

"Do you know when this meeting is?

"I told him you would contact him as soon as possible. I tried to schedule something myself, but he refused. It sounded like he really was hoping to do something immediately."

Although I should have been working, my mind kept drifting back to the pleasurable time I'd spent with Bella. I eventually poured over spreadsheets and attended another meeting before finally getting ahold of Mr. Alistar. I tried to get Emmett to go in my place, however, Mr. Alistar refused. Emmett did actually work for our company, but I was the one that really worked my ass off and was "rewarded" with a higher salary and much more responsibility.

Mr. Alistar told me he needed me in Amsterdam immediately and had tried to get me to go earlier, but didn't know I had taken a long lunch. He was able to reschedule for the following day and needed me to stay at least until Sunday.

_Fuck. There go our plans._

I had to meet Mr. Alistar the following morning, and I barely had time to run home and pack a quick bag before driving to the airport and taking the last flight out. A security escort had to walk me into the plane because I was almost too late to board the flight. I called Bella as I packed and apologized once again. It seemed like I always had some big meeting or somewhere I had to be that kept me away from her. I felt like such an idiot. The times we'd actually been together sexually, hadn't been exactly typical. I hadn't had a chance to wake up next to her or relax in a comfortable bed with her. I needed to correct that as soon as possible.

The time spent in Amsterdam was successful and I was able to finalize plans to open a new company office based in Spain. Emmett would be in charge of finding someone to head that branch on a day-to-day basis.

On Sunday night, on my plane back home, and as had happened on my flight to Amsterdam, I ended up running late. I was refused to be let on the plane by the people in charge even though the plane was still on the ground. I ended up being bumped to the next flight out.

I went to an empty area of the airport, set my alarm and dozed off for about an hour on some seats until my plane started to board. I began to get excited that I would see Bella. After all the fake smiling and laughing at the stupid meeting, I was ready to get back to the woman that genuinely made me happy. She was back in Italy, and I'd see her soon.

I settled into my first-class aisle seat in the plane and as I looked around at the people surrounding me, l saw a familiar-looking woman staring at me. She sat across the aisle and was two rows up from me.

"Edward?" she asked tentatively when I met her eyes. When I knew her, her hair had been platinum blonde, not light brown, and a little longer than it was now, but it was definitely her.

_Irina. How the hell did I get on a plane with Irina?_

The smile that I held for my business acquaintances was back in full-force. I couldn't ignore her if she had already seen me and actually addressed me. I nodded and gave a quick wave before opening my book. I watched her from the corner of my eye as she chatted and laughed with the woman next to her. I knew that talking to her would be awkward. There was no way we were having a conversation in the crowded plane, so I started to relax. But later, when the man sitting next to me headed to the bathroom, Irina got up and walked to where I was seated. It was definitely rude, but I pretended to not notice her presence. I felt her thin fingers clutch my shoulder.

"Edward, it's good to see you again. How have you been?" she asked with an accent that I'd once found to be incredibly sexy. I was hit with the overwhelming smell of a classic floral perfume. She asked some questions about my time in Italy and some other things. I answered, but since the person that was sitting next to me returned right away, the conversation was brief.

I didn't have a chance to react before Irina leaned partially down to my ear and whispered in Italian. "Spero che possiamo ottenere insieme, quando si terra."

She'd told me: I hope we can get together when we land. As in hook-up. It wasn't shocking to hear that. We had hooked up the previous summer. I'd met her at one of my parent's parties, toward the end of July. She was the daughter of one of their Italian friends. She sauntered away with swaying hips and all I could think about was the last time I'd seen her. I had to admit that she was still gorgeous, in fact, with her new hair color, I think she might even look better than she had been the previous summer. I'd told her there was no way we'd work out. We got together a whopping three times before I left and she had cried the day before I left to go back home to Seattle. She called me and I screened my calls, never answering. I'd thought it was understood that we had clearly had a summer thing. It wasn't even really a fling; it was just sex.

She lived in Italy, but she had money and traveled frequently for shopping or vacations with her other wealthy friends or family. When the plane landed, I stalled by getting my bag together and tried to let her go first but she stalled too. There was nothing else to adjust or pack and it became silly so I had to get out of the fucking plane.

"Well this is a surprise seeing you!" she said, linking my arm with hers.

"Yes, it is." I was annoyed but didn't say anything more as I tried to figure out what I was going to do next. She started talking about some important event she was going to and told me that she'd searched all over Europe to find the perfect dress. I nodded and smiled at all the appropriate places in the conversation. Once we emerged from the aerobridge, I pried her arm out from under me and she threw her arms around my neck, giving me a kiss on each cheek.

"Edward! Oh, I've missed you so much," she sighed against my chest.

"Irina," I said, pulling both of her hands off of me and holding them together. I was in unfamiliar territory; I had no idea how to deal with her. I didn't want to be a jack-ass, but I didn't want to lead her on. All I had to do was set her straight.

"I have a girlfriend."

She smiled, nodded, and tucked her hair behind her ears shyly. "I wrote you something on the plane," Irina said. She opened her handbag, started rustling through items and pulled out a small piece of stationary.

"Please. Take this," she said, pushing it into my palm. "I really do hope you will visit me." She searched my eyes, probably hoping to see my answer in them, before looking at me with finality. ""Ciao!" she said when I remained silent and headed off in the opposite direction toward the baggage claim. I held my only bag and walked off to my car after shoving the note into my jean pocket. _I'll deal with it later._

I drove from the airport straight to where Bella was staying after calling to check if it would be okay. It was about 10ish by the time I got to her apartment, and I was completely exhausted. I'm sure she could see it in me. I still had to work the following day.

She greeted me with an enthusiastic embrace, shutting the door behind her, and we kissed as if we hadn't seen each other in years.

"Are you locking me out?"

"No, just wanted a bit of privacy since Alice and Jasper are home. So, can you stay?" she asked my shoes, because for some reason she couldn't look at me.

I had actually really hoped that she'd ask me to stay.

"I'd really like that." She brightened up with a smile that could knock me over. "You are so damn adorable when you act shy… but also, I know that's not really you," I said.

"I am to shy. Actually I was painfully shy, but I got over it a bit after college," she said.

"You could have fooled me," I said, laughing. She hit me softly in my stomach. I grabbed her hand and twirled her. She led me inside to the living area where Jasper and Alice were watching a movie. We exchanged greetings and sat down with them to watch the ending of one of the Spiderman movies. Bella's hand was linked in mine. I played with her fingers and palm as she rested her head on my shoulder.

When I crawled into Bella's bed that night, there were plenty of sleepy, slow kisses, but oddly (or maybe it wasn't oddly) even though we had declared that we were in a relationship with one another, we didn't have sex. I really was fine with that. I knew we deserved one normal night together, but a night after I'd just come from out of town, exhausted, wasn't really what I anticipated. All I wanted was her body near mine, and I think she could sense that. I didn't tell her about Irina. I hadn't even read her note, and I didn't plan on ever seeing her again.

**MONDAY  
WEEK TWO**

I learned about Bella's sleeping habits and I discovered that she was a blanket hog and tended to kick... hard. In the morning when my internal body alarm woke me, my beautiful Pinky remained fast asleep. Her hair was fanned out across the pillow and I noticed a tiny birthmark on her upper neck near her hairline that was shaped like a maple leaf. It was moments like this, when things were calm and we were not rushed, that I appreciated the time to discover miniscule details about her. I watched the peacefulness of her sleeping and wished the clock could stop for a bit so I wouldn't have to leave. I thought about touching her hair but didn't want to disturb her. She sighed at that exact moment, still lost in her dreams, and moved abruptly, smacking our heads together.

"Ow," she mumbled groggily. Her eyes opened just enough so she was squinting.

"I'm sorry," I said, pulling her flush with my body, and kissed her forehead. I wrapped my arms around her waist and could smell her shampoo waft from her hair and pillow.

"Mmmm," she hummed into my chest, closing her eyes again. Her mumble reminded me of the noises she made during sex and it headed straight to my dick.

"Bella, I have to be at work in just under an hour."

"What?" Her eyes shot back open. "No. Don't go," she pleaded, pushing her knee to open my leg so that her leg was sandwiched in between mine. She batted her eyes and pouted. I put my hands up to her face and placed a quick chaste kiss on her lips.

"Baby?" She stared at me and then proceeded. "Are you... um… hard?" She rolled her leg until she felt the hardness with the side of her leg. The small touch was enough to make me let out a low moan.

It was amazing how fast she seemed to have woken. She traced a finger down from my chest to just above my boxers and pushed me so I was down on my back. My heart begin to pick up pace. She sat on top of me and seemed to enjoy the hardness under her. She leaned down and lightly bit my chin before moving up my jawline with soft kisses. She moved up to my ear and placed kisses while running her hands through my hair.

There was a knock at the door, and Bella paused. She lowered her hands until they were resting on my boxers. I closed my eyes and moaned again.

"Are you going to answer?" I was painfully hard from her touch, and I had tensed up as I heard the knock.

"No. The door is locked," she said, lowering my boxers which allowed my cock to free from my boxers, like a damn jack-in-the-box.

"You don't have to-" I said. She slid some fingers inside her mouth and used the wetness to do long strokes up and down my dick with both hands.

"Shit!" I hissed and she moved from stroking me to a sudden change when I felt her mouth on my shaft and began swirling her tongue around and bobbing her head as she took more of my length inside of her mouth.

Another louder knock on the door made me open my eyes.

"Bella?" Alice called from the other side of the door.

Bella continued to ignore both me and Alice as she continued to lick and suck, grasp and pump my dick.

When I started to feel the buildup and release coming, I moved her lips from my cock and she continued pumping me until I was grunting and exploding with excitement.

"Go take a shower and I'll go see what Alice wanted," she said.

"But, I-"

"No, don't worry about me. You owe me one," she said with a big smile and a wink.

Luckily her bedroom had a layout like a suite, and the bathroom was inside the room. She stood up and I saw her in her glory. She had messy bed-hair and her dress hugged her ass in the silky, light-purple sleep dress, and framing her waist and hips. _She is so goddamn sexy. I'm so lucky._ She ran her hands through her hair and turned back momentarily before opening the lock and walking outside of the door.

Alice had been waking us for breakfast. We had a quick meal of blueberry pancakes and orange juice. It was the fastest breakfast ever because I was on the opposite side of town and had to travel the opposite direction to get to work. It was only Alice, Bella, and me at breakfast because Jasper had left to go workout.

As I headed out the door, I kissed Bella under Alice's watchful gaze. I think she thought I was okay for Bella, but I also felt like she seemed a bit protective of her. I kind of felt like she'd been looking for me to make a mistake.

I made it to work twenty minutes late.

_*~*~*~PURPLE~*~*~*_

**_Bella_**

After breakfast, Alice made me go jogging with her.

"So what took you so long to get up? Were you still asleep?" Alice asked me.

"Yeah," I said with as much of a straight face as I could. I couldn't hide my giddiness, however, and giggled.

"You are such a liar, Bella. And you know, she said contemplative, "we've never discussed his love missile."

"Wha- Oh my God! Love missile?" I laughed. "I'm not comfortable with sharing those types of details with you." I took a side glance at her and she had a what-the-fuck expression on her face. She'd told me lots of details about her and Jasper, but it wasn't like I asked for them. She gave them to me. "But, I can tell you that his 'love missile', as you so eloquently put it, is not disappointing."

She turned to look at me and her face was flushed from jogging. "Oh thank God. That's great to hear," she said, smirking. "I know it's supposed to be about attraction and personality, but all that's one-hundred times better when he's got a big thing."

When we got back home after our jog, we discovered that Jasper had returned.

"So what do you want to do today, Bella?" Jasper asked me.

"Oh, I don't know, I said. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Well, actually, there are some guys from work that wanted to go out to some bar or something."

"Oh! That sounds fun!" I exclaimed.

"You actually want to go to a bar?" Alice asked me, with a strange look on her face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, with a hand on my hip.

"Because you told me you'd rather eat dirt with worms than go to a bar or club when we were in Seattle."

"Well, yeah, that was the old Bella. The new Bella wants to dance and drink. And maybe I could invite Edward?"

"Yeah of course!" Jasper said. "It'll be fun."

"So, just so you know, Edward and I are like official now," I stated.

"Official?" Alice said, glaring at me.

"Well what I mean is, don't try to say how hot and sexy Jasper's friends are. I'm with Edward," I replied.

"You are still single, girl! It doesn't hurt to look."

I shook my head. One thing I hated about going anywhere with Alice was that she scoped out entire rooms to point out how cute, hot, sexy, rich, or perfect guys would be for me.

"You know it's like my job as your BFF to make sure you're happy, right?"

"Don't think I don't appreciate that. I love you for that but…" I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. "I am happy."

Around lunchtime, I called Edward to let him know about the plans I'd made with Alice and Jasper.

"So, do you think you want to?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I'm down for it, he said without hesitance. "What time?"

"Well Jasper's friends are going around 9:30," I replied. "They will take me. So you don't need to pick me up. I know it's out of your way."

"Alright, well um," he said, stopping for a minute.

"Do you think it would be okay to invite Emmett and maybe Rosalie?"

"Oh… um, yeah, I mean…" I fumbled with the words. I'd rather not have to deal with Rosalie, but Edward was my boyfriend; she'd have to just get over it. I couldn't hide from her forever. If she had a problem with me, she didn't have to talk to me. I didn't plan to talk to her. It would be too noisy and hopefully I'll have lots of girly alcoholic drinks.

"You know it's totally okay if you're not ready-"

"No. I'm totally okay with it. I'm sure it'll be fine with Jasper and Alice too. It's an open establishment. Feel free to invite them."

_*~*~*~PURPLE~*~*~*_

"Are you fucking kidding me, Bella?" Alice said, looking at me like I had two heads.

"I don't see the point in creating drama where there isn't any. I am not some high school kid. Edward is my boyfriend and if that includes the company of Rosalie and Emmett, then I can't question it. "

"Of course you can question it," she said, while turning around so I could zip up her dress.

"Well, I didn't ask for an explanation. I just really want to move past this nonsense."

**Ten p.m.**

I had on a violet, satin, strapless dress with pockets that sat about four inches above my knees. I had blown out my hair and straightened it with a flat iron. I liked my look, which to me was classic and classy. We stood off to the side of the bar's entrance, waiting for everyone to meet up. After only about five minutes, three guys and a girl showed up. They smiled and greeted each other as I stood off to the side a bit, feeling a little out of place.

"This is Seth and his girlfriend, Leah, and my boys, Alec and Mike. We all work together," Jasper told me, introducing his friends. I shook hands with each of them before heading inside. Edward had called me and told me that he, Emmett, and Rosalie were about twenty minutes away. He said to not bother waiting, since they would be there shortly.

The boys walked ahead and the girls followed behind. Inside, the place wasn't very packed, but there was loud music playing and people huddled in groups.

"So how do you like Italy?" Leah asked.

"Oh it's great! I don't really ever want to leave!" I exclaimed.

"Oh trust me, girl! It's nice for a while, but I'm so homesick. This is the first time I've ever really been outside of Colorado, except for training and school, and now I'm in a new country."

"That's a huge change!" I yelled over the music.

The guys came back with shots and we each took one, clinking our glasses together before downing them. I didn't know what it was, but it tasted of pure alcohol.

"Hey, so does my woman want to dance?" Jasper asked Alice, taking her shot glass and stacking each of ours up.

Alice looked at me. "You're okay here, right?"

"Oh yeah, pssh!" I said waving her off. "I'm a big girl and Edward is going to be here soon."

"Great! Then yes," she said turning to Jasper. "Your woman would love to dance."

"Oh yeah! Me too!" Leah said, dragging her boyfriend to the dance floor.

I stood behind awkwardly with the two guys as they continued to talk to each other while each chugging their beers. They brought me into their conversation, for which I was grateful, so I wouldn't look like a total idiot by myself. Mike was blond and kind of short with really blue eyes and a bit of an acne problem. Alec was tall, with dark hair and dark eyes, and he was definitely handsome. They chatted about their jobs and asked me about mine. I kept looking toward the door, waiting for Edward to come, and when I finally checked my phone, I saw that I had missed a call and a text.

**We hit a pothole and Emmett's tire got a flat. We are fixing it and will be over as soon as we can. **

I sighed to myself and sent a quick response back. I listened to the guys ramble on.

"Do you want another drink," Mike asked me.

"Oh. Um…" I wanted another drink but wanted to wait for Edward. "Yeah, sure, but it's cool. I'll buy my own," I said.

"Oh no. Girls shouldn't have to pay for their drinks. I've got you," Alec said. "Come with me to the bar?"

I finally agreed and followed the guys to the bar where I ordered an extra dirty martini.

"Oh! There you are, Bella!" Alice said, finding me sipping my drink a few minutes later. She hooked my arm with hers. "Come dance with us!"

"I'm holding my drink!"

"Oh and where's Edward?"

"They had a flat tire, so they're running a bit late."

"That sucks! Well, anyway, drink up and then come on!" Jasper came with more shots, handing them to the three of us. We clanked our glasses together. I started to feel the beginnings of the alcohol taking over.

Feeling bold, I went out onto the dance floor and started swaying my hips to the beat as I danced and laughed with Jasper and Alice. Just a few minutes later, Alec and Mike joined us on the dance floor in a sort of half circle. Alec seemed to be indirectly dancing with me and I let him but kept a safe distance. I just wanted to enjoy the music and atmosphere. In the middle of Italy, the bar could have been just like any other back in the United States. It catered to tourists rather than locals, so the music was American and everyone around me spoke English. It was fun. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been to a bar or club and actually enjoyed myself. I was pretty sure my toes were pinching inside of my shoes, but they kind of went numb.

"Hey, so did you know that this place is called a disco?" Alec asked me while dancing.

"Disco? Like the 70's?" I responded, confused.

"No. Nightclubs in Italy are called Discos and what we call nightclubs are actually strip clubs."

"No they are not," I laughed.

"I swear to you. I learned that the hard way," he said, laughing.

"I need another drink. Would you like another?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you," I answered. I knew he was hitting on me and I didn't want to give him the wrong impression.

When a new song came on, we all ended up being a little closer than we had been due to the crowd of people packing the place. Alec came back and I could feel his presence as he danced behind me. He touched my hip with his hand and I flinched a bit. I didn't want to be rude, so I just danced a little bit stiffer so I wouldn't actually touch him. No one was really paying attention, but I kind of felt like Alice would judge me if she saw me dancing with him. I didn't ever want to be accused of cheating. I'd been on the opposite end of that, and it had hurt like hell. It didn't matter whether I was in a new relationship or a long-term one; I couldn't do that to him—or anyone, ever.

It was at that moment, when I was in a bit of a foggy music daze, that I saw Edward walking toward us with a bit of a pout on his face. I didn't see Emmett or Rosalie and hoped that they had changed their minds, or at least that Rosalie had. I also watched his expression and hoped he didn't get the wrong impression of my dancing. But as he got closer, I couldn't help the smile the spread across my lips. I stopped all of a sudden and walked a few steps to greet him.

"Hi, baby," I said, as he hooked his arms around my waist and kissed me. He smiled at me. "Could you possibly have taken any longer?" I teased.

"Well, Emmett refused to let me change the tire and then was doing it all wrong—you taste like some sort of cocktail, by the way."

"I had to get started without you, because there is no way I was going to be out on the dance floor without some liquid courage."

"Who were you dancing with?" I know I shouldn't have smiled at his question, but he looked so adorable with his furrowed brow and serious expression. I actually liked the tiny glimpse of jealousy I saw behind his eyes.

"I wasn't dancing with him. He was dancing with me. He's one of Jasper's friends. Also, I only want to dance with you," I said, hooking one of my fingers in his jean's belt loops and looking up at him. I think he may have even blushed inside the dark bar.

"You are looking really, really good tonight, Pinky," he said, whispering in my ear. A shiver ran down my spine. "I really like the way that color and how that dress looks on you. I think I might need to change your nickname."

I giggled like a stupid, little girl. He made me feel like I was eighteen. I stopped abruptly when I saw Emmett and Rosalie walk up to Edward.

"Hey, Bella. It's good to see ya again!" Emmett yelled over the music. He had two beers, one of which he handed to Edward. Rosalie had something dark with bubbles in her cup.

"Yeah, same here," I said back.

"Hi, Bella." Rosalie nodded. I wanted to be the bigger person, but I didn't respond to her.

"Rosalie is our designated driver tonight," Emmett said and I nodded. I think Emmett could tell I was a bit uncomfortable, so he started a conversation with Rosalie.

"You okay?" Edward asked me.

"Yeah, of course. Let's dance," I said, pulling him onto the dance floor. He waved to Alice and Jasper, who were practically getting it on out on the floor, and I introduced Edward to Mike and Alec as my boyfriend. They seemed friendly enough to Edward, though Alec did seem to look a bit longer at him. He backed off a bit and then left the dance floor when Edward put his hands around my waist tightly.

"I'm pretty sure that dude wants to kill me. I think he thought he was gonna get lucky with you tonight or something," he said in my ear.

"I'm sure that Jasper or Alice told him I had a boyfriend, or I might have said. I don't know, can't really remember."

"Well, my girlfriend is hot. And I think she has had several drinks already. So I need to be careful with her," he said, before kissing the top of my ear.

We danced several songs and after a bit, I headed off to the bathroom as Edward went to refill his drink. I tended to pee a lot when I drank, and had a bladder filled with liquor. I felt like something was wrong with me when the pee stream just kept on going and going. I heard someone else inside one of the stalls vomiting.

_Damn, some people can't hold their liquor. _I'd pretty much found the point where I could have a nice buzz but not actually be drunk, and although it was a fine line to walk, I was pretty proud of not having any drunken sessions that resulted in vomiting.

When the vomiting stopped, I heard sobs.

"I know I need to tell him. I will. I just—can't right now."

"Excuse me?" I asked, and then quickly realized that the person was Rosalie and she wasn't talking to me. She was on the phone.

_Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._

"Tanya, you rock for staying on the phone while I puke but, um, I've gotta go. I'll call you later."

I opened the stall door, and rushed out, planning to get the hell out of dodge. I grabbed some soap from the dispenser and rubbed it in my hands, furiously scrubbing, and turned on the water. Just as I grabbed a paper towel, a toilet flushed and one of the bathroom stalls swung open. I looked in the mirror and was face-to-face with Rosalie.

"Are you okay?" I asked automatically, turning around to face her. I had heard her vomit and cry. There was something wrong, and it was also in my nature to watch out for others.

"Yes, I'm fucking fine," she said rudely, pulling her hands through her hair roughly. She started washing her hands and completely ignored me.

It took me all of two seconds to respond back to her.

"What the fuck? You are so rude! I asked you out of concern and this is how you respond?"

"I don't need your sympathy and it's none of your business!" she said, raising her voice.

_Oh hell no!_

"I don't know what the hell I did to you, except try to be courteous and friendly in an awkward situation."

"You think you're special? You think Edward doesn't attract women like bees to honey?"

"What does that have to do with me?" I asked, staring her down. "Do you have a crush on him or something? Last I heard you were married. Edward and I are together, and I'm not going away."

"Oh Please. I'm not attracted to that idiot. But I know someone who is a hell of a lot better than you. Just… forget it."

"You are such a _bitch_," I said. I headed for the door. Just as I was going to open it, she started crying. It was a full break-down, not a just-a-few-tears type of cry.

"I'm-I'm so sorry," I said, immediately regretting how the conversation had turned.

She nodded her head and put her hands on her face.

"I…" She sniffled. "I found out… I'm pregnant. And um, Emmett may not… be the father," she managed in between her tears.

_I'm such an idiot. _

I had been buzzed and on such a high just a few minutes earlier. I got an aching headache and felt completely sobered. I stood there, a few steps away from her, gasping like a fish out of water for air. I had no idea why she chose to tell me. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Why should I care? She clearly didn't like me. Furthermore, she had the nerve to say I was being slutty when she wasn't even sure who the baby's father was? She was married, and she was judging me? I was fuming and sad for her at the same time. It wasn't in my nature to turn my back.

I truly didn't know how to proceed.

_*~*~*~PURPLE~*~*~*_

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**A/N #2: I was told that commenting on this chapter would help me write & post faster. TRUE STORY. ;) Please let me know what you think.**

* * *

_ Bella doesn't know how to proceed...but I do, because I already wrote it. ;) What do you think about Rose's secret? Why did she tell Bella? What will Bella do? _

_Most importantly, Have you ever answered someone's question or responded to someone when they were actually on a cellphone? LOL *raises hand*  
_

**Thanks to some of you loyal readers/reviewers and you newbies too! You make my cold,cold heart red with happiness! **

Thanks to my pre-readers/betas:

LovelyBrutal, piperann, and blahblahblah for roping my commas, fixing my stupid mistakes, and making sure there isn't one too many limbs involved while writing lemons. Lol

_Chapter end notes: Not every character mentioned will play a big role in the story. As is life, sometimes you meet people that come in and out of your life casually. I just so happened to name them. Also, while I don't want to give away the story… I am sticking true to my word, this story is light and fun and has some drama but this is not an angsty story._

_And... the real reason this chapter is late: the book, DIVERGENT. It may be my next obsession. Go read it and then msg me so I can fan-girl with you._

_I haven't determined yet how many chapters this will be, exactly. I think it may be in the 15-20 range.  
_

**_Next Up: Chapter 9: Silver Colored Heart_**

_Silver is a major conductor and communicator that aids speech and public speaking eloquence. It also enhances patience and perseverance. Silver is excellent for mental, emotional, and physical releasing and cleansing. _

_Hope to see you next chapter. Thank you for reading and reviewing.  
_

_With love from Texas ya'll!_

_xoxo_

_Lo_


	9. Silver Colored Heart

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer had an epic dream. She owns everything that is Twilight.**

_A/N 1: the first part of this chaper goes back a bit in time._ I hope you agree that certain events deserve more than one chapter.**  
**

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**Chapter 9: Silver Colored Heart**

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_Silver is a major conductor and communicator that aids speech and public speaking eloquence. It also enhances patience and perseverance. Silver is excellent for mental, emotional, and physical releasing and cleansing. _

_*~*~*~SILVER~*~*~*_

**Edward**

Rose and Emmett had argued every single day since they'd arrived. It was little things between them, like not making coffee or not putting the toilet seat down. As Emmett had told me previously, they had been at each other's throats lately, and it seemed to be getting worse. It was hard not to see that things between them were strained. Lately, I could count more frowns on his face than his big, goofy smiles. I tried to ignore his mood. I really did. The jokes that usually caused him to laugh uproariously had only gotten a slight smirk the past couple of days. Or, really, maybe my jokes weren't all that funny. The thing about Emmett was that he was never mad or stressed, or if he was, he never let it show. I wanted to see him snap and get angry. I wanted him to get irate at Rosalie or yell and take it out on me or throw something even. But instead he just scaled back, and it was like looking at a different person.

In an effort to break him out of his mood but avoid an awkward, tell-me-your-feelings conversation, I had insisted we do something together to blow off steam and just have fun. When Bella called to invite me to the bar the following day, it was perfect timing. I knew that a group outing would be the perfect atmosphere to invite Emmett and Rosalie and get everyone back on good terms. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but I was apprehensive about inviting them as soon as I'd uttered the words. I really wanted to bring Bella to our home and figured it might make her feel more at ease when she came over, that was, if she was okay with Rosalie. Luckily, Bella seemed incredibly cool about seeing them again. I'd expected some apprehension and I got nothing but sweetness in response. _That's my Pinky. _

Emmett seemed very enthusiastic about it when I mentioned it to him at the office. When I got home about an hour after Emmett had left work, the mood in the house was cold. I could feel the energy in the air immediately. Rosalie was in the living room watching TV, and when I asked her where Emmett was, she just shrugged. I found Emmett in the kitchen, cooking grilled-cheese sandwiches; he had a plate of about five of them already done.

"Oh hey! You're cooking dinner," I said, grinning.

"Yep," he said, looking over his shoulder.

_Okay…_

"So, I kind of feel like I've walked into a freezer," I said jokingly while taking a seat on one of the bar stools.

"Huh?" Emmett said, turning back around and frowning.

"The mood inside the house," I said, raising my eyebrows." I can feel the coldness in the house. A freezer. It feels like a freezer?"

_Yeah. I wasn't funny._

"Oh."

"What's going on? Did the honeymoon stage finally wear off?" I asked, with a hint of playfulness. I didn't think he would spill any shocking details and I really wasn't trying to pry. I was joking around, trying to get him to laugh.

"Look, I might as well tell you," he said, scooping another grilled cheese onto a plate. He turned around and set the plate of sandwiches beside me before sitting down.

"Rosalie and I—" He stopped, took a deep breath and then continued. "We can't get pregnant. We've been trying for several months now to finally start our family, and we just can't," he said.

I ran my hands through my hair. I hadn't expected that to be the root cause of their fights.

"I'm sorry. I didn't even know you wanted kids," I said. He ignored my response.

"Earlier today when I came home from work, I walked in and made a joke about getting it on with her before you got home. She told me she had a headache and practically bit my head off! She told me that I'm a selfish, inconsiderate, bastard."

"Wow," I stated. It was all I really could say.

"She now, refuses to talk to me and turned on the TV to full volume so we couldn't talk. This is not the first time, you know? We were on two completely different pages when we were thinking about having kids. Rosalie wanted to have a baby almost right after we got married. I wanted to wait a while to make sure we could enjoy the pleasures of our relationship without the responsibility of children."

That, he said, was one of their major rifts; Rosalie blamed Emmett for pushing her to wait. He'd also told me that they'd hit a bit of a rough patch back at home, and Rosalie had temporarily moved out of their house for almost one whole month, but he stressed that they never thought about getting divorced. No one had known a thing about it back in Seattle, not even our parents. In the end, they couldn't see themselves living apart. He claimed that she was making herself sick with stress and worrying so much that he believed it was contributing to their problems.

I'd always seen them as this perfect couple, so in sync and ridiculously in love that they'd never have any problems.

"I don't think we're gonna go to the bar, man. She's not even speaking to me," he said.

"Don't worry about that. I hope you get a chance to talk and get this resolved."

A few hours later, as I started getting dressed to go out, Emmett came to my room to say that they were both good and wanted to go out and have a good time.

xxxxx

When we were on our way to the bar, things were still a bit testy.

"I'm getting a migraine. I really don't feel well," Rosalie said, when we were already a quarter of a mile away from home.

"You've been getting headaches a lot Rose. Maybe you should go check that out," Emmett said with concern.

"I don't need to go to the doctor, Emmett," Rosalie said quietly.

"Edward, please tell Rose that going to the doctor isn't the end of the world," Emmett said with a sigh. I thought it was guys who always hated to go to the doctor, not women." Emmett drove his Jeep with Rosalie sitting next to him in the passenger seat. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she stared out of the window looking at the scenery. I spied a bit of annoyance on her face from the car's side mirror.

"I can't believe you told _him_. That's why I've got a headache. He doesn't need to know all of our business," Rosalie mumbled.

"It's not the end of the world. Everyone has problems; no one's relationship is perfect," I said. "He's only looking out for your health. And, I thought it would be nice to go out together, but no one is forcing you to come if you don't feel well."

"We can turn around," I suggested.

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" she said sarcastically, turning around to face me. "That way some drunk and slutty girls can flirt with Emmett. Fuck that. I need to fight those bitches off, with a stick if necessary. It's like girls are attracted to men with wedding bands."

Emmett laughed.

"And I swear, Rosalie, you better be nice to Bella," I added. "This is your second opportunity." I saw her roll her eyes in the window's reflection.

"We've had this discussion already, Edward. I don't need a lecture."

Emmett quickly took control of the situation. We were fighting like cats and dogs, even when we took little steps towards being civil to one another.

"Babe, I love you, and _only_ you. I'm not that stupid. I know you'd chop off my balls if I ever even thought about giving any attention to another woman, and I'm quite fond of my balls," Emmett said, grinning. He picked up her hand and kissed the palm.

She smiled and I could feel some of the tension lift.

"I'm just saying that you're worrying me, Rose. This is about your health. You're making yourself sick with all this worrying about having a baby. And you know what? It's not a big deal. The doctor said we have lots of options, like In Vitro, IUI, and we could always adopt."

It wasn't until Emmett mentioned adoption that something finally snapped in my mind. She wanted to have her own kids, and she was having trouble coping with the fact that it wasn't happening when she wanted it to. She was taking her anger out on me because when I wasn't even ready or prepared, I had become a father.

At that exact moment, two things happened. We heard a loud pop and the car jerked, and Rosalie burst into tears, putting her hands over her face as she breathed heavily and cried. I thought she might be having a panic attack. Rosalie was always the confident one, a snarky and independent woman. It was unusual to see her vulnerable, and I certainly had never seen her cry before. Emmett had one hand on Rosalie's knee and the other hand on the wheel when she started crying. He swerved sharply, almost hitting a guard rail, before putting both of his hands back on the wheel. He managed to pull safely out of the way of traffic on the side of the road. I knew it was a flat tire, and I jumped at the opportunity to get out of the car and give them a bit of privacy.

I walked to the back of the Jeep, since that's where I'd heard the pop. I squatted to tire-level to see that there was a large metal nail stuck in one of the tires.

"Damn it," I muttered. There wasn't just one nail. I could see the head of at least another wide nail puncturing one of the tires, and who knew if there were more underneath. The tire was already deflating fast and needed to be replaced. I surveyed it for several minutes before the driver's side door opened and Emmett came around to look at it.

"I've got a spare," he said, pointing. I need to make sure Rosalie is alright," he said with a frown.

"No problem, take your time. I've got this," I said.

Rosalie and Emmett got out of the car and started talking quietly in front of it. I took that time to retrieve the extra tire, leverage pipe, and jack and went to work loosening the lug nuts. By the time that I started to jack the car up, Emmett came over and said he would take over. Rosalie walked a bit behind Emmett and came around to the back of the car.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly. He nodded. He leaned down and started working on replacing the tire.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," I told Rosalie when she joined me. She didn't answer and instead looked down at her shoes. "My shoes are going to get ruined out here, and these are $400 shoes," she said, changing the subject. I was happy for the change. If she didn't want to talk about it, neither did I.

While Emmett replaced the tire, I texted Bella to let her know that we would be arriving late. I dusted my jeans off and handed the lug nuts to Emmett when he asked for them. When he finished, he hugged Rose and kissed her forehead as she smiled. It was a sweet gesture, and I knew that they would be fine. I decided to ask again when we were back inside the car that if they changed their minds, it would be okay. They both agreed that they still wanted to go. The ride over was mellow, and for the first time since they arrived I finally felt like everyone was calm and at ease.

_*~*~*~SILVER~*~*~*_

**Bella**

The music thumped loudly outside the restroom door, and the overhead light was a neon yellow that was way too bright. The lighting reminded me of a hospital room. It suddenly felt too sterile and cold. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other and had to grip the nearest sink to avoid falling flat on my ass. I'd probably need to vomit next. I stared at a modern-looking, metal sculpture on one of the walls on the opposite end of the bathroom. I felt the alcohol in my blood and it felt as if it were seeping from my pores. My head pounded almost to the beat of the loud music. Rosalie and I were the only occupants in the restroom. She looked scared and small standing over the sink. She wasn't the scary Rosalie I remembered; she was a woman who had been holding onto a crazy secret. _And now I know too._ _Why?_

She sobbed into her freshly washed hands. She mumbled something into them that I couldn't quite catch. I think it might have been, "Why did I do that?"

At that moment, I was sure this was the perfect time for me to seek revenge, something that could one-up her. _What if I could hurt her like she'd hurt me? What if I marched over to Emmett and told him what a mean girl his wife was and that she was a lying, cheating whore? What had I ever done to her to deserve the blind hate?_

Except, there was no way I could do that. There was no way I could be _that_ type of person. This was someone's marriage, not a relationship that was easily left behind. But what if? Maybe I could. My hand hovered over the door's handle and I tugged on the heavy Industrial door. The door opened to a loud bass of a familiar song that was playing at triple the speed of what it normally sounded like_. No, I can't do it. I just can't do it. _I could forget about it. I could pretend I had been too drunk to hear her. I could completely ignore her and everything I knew would just disappear, dissolve into thin air. If only it were that easy. I took one last peek at Rosalie before walking out of the door. She was staring at me with red stone-cold yet watery eyes. Her face was flushed, and she was biting the corner of her lip. I couldn't tell if her eyes held anger, sadness, or maybe it was relief. It bothered me that I couldn't read her expression. And so I got pissed. I let go of the door and it shut out the loud yet muffled sound of the booming music. I walked a few steps closer to her, yet we were still at least two feet away from each other.

"Why did you tell me?" I asked angrily. I could feel my face get hot and my palms get sweaty with nerves of having to confront her. I needed some answers; I couldn't let her secret weigh me down. It wasn't fair of her to tell me. I closed the remaining distance between us so that we were very close. I had no idea where my courage came from but it was there, a bold new Bella emerging that was a much better version of what I used to be.

_Was it an accident? Was she trying to gain my trust?_ All I had was unanswered questions and confusion.

She broke down sobbing and tried to clear her eyes, but the tears kept falling like a dam that had burst. I wanted to run out of the bathroom. I took a step back. My eyes looked for something else to focus on and settled on the stupid metal art work. I was the type to cry when I saw others cry; I couldn't help it, so I kept my eyes on the vines of sculptured metal to avoid having to look at her face. I waited for a response from her. Each time she'd try to say something, all I'd hear was the beginning of a word. Just when I thought I'd never know and our conflict would never be resolved, she finally spoke but it was interrupted by deep breaths and hiccups.

"Please don't say anything," she cried. She grabbed a paper towel, wiped her hands and blotted her eyes with another. I still couldn't read her mood in her response, and I still didn't have the answer I wanted.

"Please don't say anything?" I asked slowly. I felt my eyes become wild and alert. I was losing my patience, fast. It was hard to take the high road when she kept knocking me down. It was impossible to stay quiet when all she could say was not to say anything. She had screwed up and was just trying to cover her bases.

"Why shouldn't I say anything? You just bit my fucking head off when I asked if you were alright. You just told me that my boyfriend deserves someone better than me! Why would you say that? What have I done to you?" I looked at her, and she just shook her head. "All you've done is be rude when I tried my best to be normal about the stupid situation. You made me feel like shit after my first date with Edward. Did you know that? You wanted me to feel bad. You're pregnant so that gives you a pass to act crazy? Why should I stay quiet?"

I stunned myself by saying everything I had struggled with since that first awkward meeting. My words that matched my feelings were free-falling, bungee-jumping out of my brain, sky diving without a parachute. I had too many incomplete thoughts. I could feel my own tears forming and prayed I wouldn't allow her to see how I was affected. This was me standing up for myself, facing a bully, letting her know that I was hurt too and it was saying that things I hadn't yet resolved with Queen Rosalie. I was backed up against a wall, like a cornered animal baring her teeth, and I had done the best I could to stand my ground. And her telling me that Edward deserved better than me when I was already feeling self-conscious about my relationship with him had been painful. That voice, the one I had pushed to the back in my mind, was the same voice that had resurfaced in physical form just minutes earlier.

"You also told me to 'mind my fucking business,' yet you tell me something so God-damn private," I said, looking at her with disgust. "Why?"

I could have gone on and on. I was reeling inside. I wanted to say she was worse than a whore. I wanted to tell her that ten thousand other women would be better for Emmett than she was.

New streams of tears fell from her eyes. She just shook her head. I'd thought she was a beautiful woman when I'd first seen her. I'd even been jealous that she'd known Edward. On the outside, she was super model beautiful, but when she had spoken to me, things had changed. She was a terrible person on the inside. Knowing the information she had willingly told me only confirmed that reality. I'd never be on good terms with her. In the harsh restroom light, her flawless makeup was smudged and her skin looked blotchy. She looked … weak. I couldn't care less. I wasn't going to fall for her sob story and I definitely wasn't going to let her intimidate me anymore. I was beginning to think she wasn't going to respond. I stared her down, like we were in a western gun fight, about to draw. I didn't want to be the first to flinch. She broke from my eyes first.

"I don't know why I said it!" she shouted angrily. "I just needed my best friend, and she's not here, and our hours are so different."

"Again, I'll ask," I said, this time using my teacher voice. "Why did you tell me? I sure as hell am not your best friend."

"It slipped. Maybe I just needed someone else to know!" She turned back to the mirror and wiped some wayward mascara that had somehow ended up near her eyebrow. She started talking again, this time softer. "I had my suspicions that I was pregnant and I had it confirmed two days before our trip here. It's in my head every minute of every day. It's what I wanted. But not like this. Emmett doesn't even know I'm pregnant. And … I … He was a stupid, stupid mistake." The word "mistake" rang in my ears, but I had no idea who the mistake was: Emmett, or the guy that could potentially be the father? I was getting way too far into her business, and I'd been in the bathroom for much longer than a pee break.

"So you tell me?" I asked, baffled. "Someone you clearly hate? Yep. That makes perfect sense to me," I said sarcastically.

"I don't know you. And to be honest, the last time Edward was here, he hung out with a total skank. It was some stupid bitch who had constantly hitting on Emmett before she met Edward. I'm not saying you are like her, just—I'm cautious. I'm best friends with his daughter's mother. I trust her. I don't trust anyone else. You just happened to be here when I was freaking out. I can't tell Emmett now, and I'm just so confused. I barf all the fucking time and I have to hide it. I pee constantly, have really bad headaches, and I don't just have morning sickness, it's all fucking day."

Music filled the room as two giggly girls walked inside and into side-by-side bathroom stalls. The music snapped me back into reality. I was having this heavy conversation in the bathroom of a loud, crowded bar.

"That guy is totally hot. I absolutely have to go home with him tonight," one of the giggly girls said to her friend.

"I agree. He's a hot piece of ass, but I think his friend is hotter," responded giggly girl number two.

I knew the conversation between Rosalie and I had ended. I wouldn't be getting any additional details, and I was fine with that. The less I knew of the situation, the better.

"I won't tell him," I said to Rosalie. "But you should … soon."

"Thanks," she sniffled. I nodded and turned around to head for the door.

"Bella?" I froze and turned to look back at her.

"I'm sorry. For everything."

I couldn't tell if she was being sincere or if she was just worried I was having doubts about not telling Emmett what was going on. Even if I hadn't gotten the complete answers I was looking for, I supposed I could see that that keeping things to herself was how she was dealing with this life-changing event on her own. I didn't want to keep her secret, I hadn't asked for her to tell me, and I hoped that she would tell him—soon. I started thinking of what I'd do if I had a secret that big. Would I try to hide it? But I didn't. I didn't know what it was like to be in that situation, and I planned to never put myself in a position like that. Also, I'd need to talk to Edward about this skank that Rosalie had spoken of. Did she live in Italy? I was now two for two for awkward confrontations with Rosalie. _Why is my life so fucking difficult? If my life were a movie, I'm sure it'd be some sort of dramedy._

I'd decided it was not my place to tell her secret. This was someone's marriage. There was a little person growing inside that hadn't had a say in being made. It wasn't my place. She shouldn't have told me, but our conversation had given me the opportunity to get some of my feelings off my chest and out of my head.

I was proud of the way I'd handled myself with Rosalie. It could have gotten ugly. I sort-of pictured hair pulling, scratching, and the removal of earrings. That would have made an interesting movie. I'd never been involved in a fight because I definitely hadn't ever been confident. I shied away from confrontations, and I had basically had my nose stuck in a book since I learned to read. Somehow, I left the confrontation with Rosalie feeling semi-resolved. Maybe we'd never be friends, and that was okay. At least we had our feelings out on the table. I couldn't help but think of another monumental confrontation in my life. The way I dealt with James' cheating. There's no way I would have confronted that Victoria chick when I found out James had been cheating. The last thing James saw when we were forced to confront the issue was the version of me that was spineless, weak, and let people walk all over her. I'd cried and asked questions he had answered with bullshit responses, and I just took them and quietly tip-toed out of the apartment. It was regretful. It took me months to think of everything I should have said to him. I had fake conversations of what I should have told him in my head. In the back of my mind, I would always wonder if I was good enough for someone, or if I would have to watch my back for someone else to come around and replace me. It was unfair, but it was my life, and who said life was fair?

All in all, this whole Italy experience was testing my strength, courage, and my ability to make new relationships, but at least it was remarkable. Maybe, when assessing my life, I'd say, "that was the day when I found out I had courage."

_*~*~*~SILVER~*~*~*_

"Jesus! I thought you fell in the toilet! Where the hell have you been?" Alice grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the way of the bathroom door as three women made their way through the door.

"I—I—um," I stuttered. "I was just—"

"Whatever!" she interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Emmett bought us shots! He's pretty awesome. Dude is hilarious! I think Jasper has a man crush on him. And Jasper was, like, gushing about how successful Edward is. He probably has a boner for him too."

My mouth hung open. I was speechless. I guessed that was a good thing.

She grabbed my hand and dragged me over to the three waiting guys. Jasper, Emmett and Edward were all talking and laughing together. I wondered where the others had gone.

Edward's eyes caught mine. He gave me a wicked smile.

"Why do you look suspicious?" I asked him. He pulled me into his side so I was tucked under his arm. His hand grazed dangerously close to my ass. "I was just admiring your walk," he said, handing me my drink. "And I was trying to decipher if you looked tipsy."

"No, I'm totally fine," I said, lightly hitting him.

"So, I kind of have a surprise for you," he stated.

I smiled. "Oh yeah?"

_Does it involve something beneath your clothes?_

Rosalie came up a few minutes later and Emmett immediately grabbed her hand. We were all coupled up. Edward and I were still in our own little land. Well, except for Alec and Mike, who were back on the dance floor with the two giggly girls that I'd seen in the bathroom.

"Do you still want to go to the beach?" Edward asked, with a huge smile. His arched his eyebrow.

"Stop being so adorable, Edward, and yes," I said, blushing while he laughed.

"I was able to finish most of my work, and Emmett said he'd help and—"

"Get to the point, babe," I said, teasing.

He bent down and I could swear he licked my neck before kissing me there. His lips drifted up to my ear.

"I have the next two days off, so I'm thinking we could go to the beach tomorrow and maybe I can finally show you our other house."

I clapped my hands to show my enthusiasm. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, which caused me to laugh. I caught Rosalie's eyes in the background. She was smiling at something Emmett had said, but it was definitely forced, a front. She was hurting, and I knew why. I couldn't fix it, and I had decided that I wasn't going to be concerned about it, it wasn't my problem. I turned my attention back to Edward.

"Just show me the house?" I asked as innocently as possible. Inside, I was a giggly, girly girl. He hadn't asked me to meet his parents or anything crazy, but still, I was embarrassingly excited to experience an Italian beach with him by my side. Oh, and what the hell, I was excited to see his house … his room … his bed.

Were we really in the middle of a loud, crowded club? All I could see was Edward.

_*~*~*~SILVER~*~*~*_

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**A/N 2: _I was told that reviewing my chapter and helping me over 200 reviews would make my scary number birthday coming up... less scary. 230 might make cry but probably won't happen till next chapter... and at 250-300 I'll tell you where the fountain of youth is... Okay... yeah... too far? Please let me know who's still reading! What are you thoughts?_**

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_THANKS!_ to my loyal readers/reviewers and newbies and even those of you that lurk. I appreciate every one of you and you motivate me to share the story that I'd imagined. I thought I was ahead of schedule and realized that it had almost been a month since I'd last posted. :( so sorry!

_THANKS!_ to the usual crew: You girls rock my socks (but I don't like wearing socks) LovelyBrutal, piperann, and blahblahblah. I'm going to get overly emotional and cry all over my keyboard once this story is done. I'm so lucky to have got to know such helpful and awesome people.

So ... still haven't read Divergent by Veronica Roth? We cannot be friends. lol J/K. If you've read it, or even if you just want something short to read, I have a bit of a drabble that I'm expanding to a full story, it's called **SELF PIMP** "**_Free Falling into the Darkness_**" *SELF PIMP** check out the link in my profile along with the banner.

I will provide the next chapter color via Twitter and as a PM response to your reviews.

With love from Texas ya'll!

xoxo

Lo


	10. White Colored Heart

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer had an epic dream. She owns everything that is Twilight. This chapter is rated MA for lemon fun. _This chapter is rated F for FLUFFY._  
**

**A/N #1** okay, so let's pretend Bella and Edward have had their safe sex talk already, yeah? Bella is on birth-control, Edward is clean. Yadda Yadda. They are grown and responsible.

I don't typically do this, but the song, "Skydive" by Jason Reeves inspired this entire chapter. If you are interested, it might set the mood if you hear it before or during the chapter.

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**Chapter 10: White colored Heart**

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_*~*~*~WHITE~*~*~*_

_White represents and projects: purity, cleanliness, and neutrality. White affects us physically by aiding in mental clarity, encourages us to clear obstacles and clutter and enable fresh beginnings. The appearance of white in dream form is thought to represent happiness at home._

**Edward**

**WEEK TWO- Monday (Contd.)**

I noticed the looks she was receiving from the men at the bar, and I couldn't help that seeing them stare at her made me become one of _those_ people; the territorial type. Call it primal instinct, but I grasped her hand protectively and when the guys that were gaping at her _still_ didn't get the picture, I went up behind her and wrapped my arms around her, whispering into her ear about how sexy she was. When we were facing each other again, it was the way her face looked staring back at me, pink, and a bit flushed, the way she licked her lips as I spoke, and the casual brushing of her fingernails on my skin that almost killed me. I wanted to get her alone and she seemed to read my mind. We couldn't keep our hands off of each other. I didn't know if it was just the atmosphere or our pheromones, the alcohol, or my sex drive or whatever, but I _craved_ her. The PDA was out in full-force as I grabbed and kissed her over her collarbone, her neck, and finally over her deliciously glossy lips.

We'd talked as a group for just a few minutes before Rosalie and Emmett started getting affectionate with each other. Bella must have been a bit uncomfortable because she pulled me onto the dance floor.

I ended up dancing behind her, linking my fingers in hers and pushing her back against me. As we danced, I noticed the tiny droplets of sweat on the back of her neck. It was incredibly sexy and made me want to see her sweat, in a different context.

"Do you want to spend the night?" I whispered in Bella's ear. I didn't expect to bring her home so soon; if anything I expected to maybe crash at Jasper and Alice's apartment, but they had a small apartment and it seemed we always had to keep quiet. It was time.

"Tonight? Really?" she said, out of breath.

"Yeah … I mean, only if you want to," I answered.

She turned around to face me and rolled her eyes and put a hand on her hip before responding.

"Of course I want to."

_*~*~*~WHITE~*~*~*_

Rosalie and Emmett got out of the car first and headed to the front door. As they walked a few steps ahead of us, I grabbed Bella's hand, letting them get a larger lead on us. She looked up with astonishment at the front of my parent's main Italian home.

"Holy shit, is this a mansion?" she asked.

"No, not quite," I said, laughing.

We walked inside the house and Bella took a few cautious steps forward. The entryway was a bit dramatic in size. I could tell she was probably not expecting the presence and quality of the home. We hadn't really talked about how successful our company was, but being that we operated overseas, I'm sure it wasn't hard to guess that we were able to afford some luxurious things.

"So do you want the tour or—"

"Not really, babe. I just really want to see you get naked." There was a hint of a slur to the words; and were said very nonchalant.

"Excuse me?" I joked. I pretended to pout, and then put on my best shocked expression. "Wow. That's all you want me for, huh?"

Her face got serious, and for a minute I thought she really didn't see the humor. I grabbed her and easily carried her over my shoulder and headed for the stairs. She shrieked loudly before covering her own mouth.

"Oh my God! You're so going to drop me," she said, sounding a bit panicked as she tried to grasp my back.

"No. Don't be silly, of course I won't drop you! But I doubt that you would have been able to make it up these stairs with all that you've drank tonight."

Shhh," she giggled, and I felt her body relax. We made it up the stairs on our way to my bedroom. "They're going to hear us!" she hissed.

"Whose fault is that?" I asked, smacking her on the ass.

"Yours!" she whispered.

"It's not like they don't know what we're gonna do," I laughed.

"What are we gonna do?" she asked, with a playful tone.

"Oh, I don't know … I can think of a few things."

My door was wide open and the place looked like a complete wreck. I had the sudden impulse to put things on pause so I could straighten things out, but it was too late. I still hadn't unpacked my few belongings from my business trip and some of my clothing was scattered across the floor and spilling out of my closet. I put her down gently and guided her inside the door before locking it. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and just stared back at me with a shy half-smile. It was weird how she was so confident with her words, but inside my room she looked timid and innocent.

"Sorry, I would have cleaned if I knew you'd be seeing my room for the first time," I said as she looked around the room.

"Wow! This is something," she whispered, taking a few steps forward. "Nice bed."

I turned her back toward me and grabbed the sides of her face, taking a good long look at her, before sucking at her bottom lip. That was the only bit of reassurance she needed, because she reached behind my neck and opened her mouth, letting me push my tongue in urgent pulsing movements. I pulled away momentarily to look at her sleepy looking eyes and removed my shoes and pulled off my socks, while she kicked off her heels. Suddenly her hands were fumbling over my belt and she was pushing my jeans down while I pulled my shirt off. She ran her hands over my chest and arms, they were soft and cold. Her hands felt over my chest and my arms, cold and soft. I grabbed one of her hands and worked kisses up her arm, raising it as I lifted the edge of her dress, feeling her leg up to her panty line, before pulling the dress up and over her head. She wore a light purple sheer bra and panties. Behind the delicate lace of her bra, I could see her perfectly pink nipples peeking out. I greedily grabbed at the flimsy fabric, pulling her towards me, feeling the softness of her breasts under my hand, while I licked and bit softly at her neck. She moaned, and I felt a frenzy come over me. I moved one hand lazily to the back of her bra and fumbled to get the clasp open. She grabbed my hand from behind her and brought it back to the front, where she traced my hand over her breasts and I felt her hardened nipples underneath my palms. It was then that I saw that the clasp was actually in front.

"Pinky, you're making me feel like an amateur," I said embarrassed that I hadn't noticed the front opening. She put her arms around my neck and laughed into my chest. I finally got it open and tossed the bra over a chair. I was greeted with her perfectly sized vanilla breasts. She bit her lip and stared back at me like she was a sex-angel; a perfect mix of confidence and innocence that I'd grown to associate as uniquely Bella. I'd always noticed that she had a scattering of freckles lightly across her nose, but looking at her—really looking at her—in the light of my own room, and taking my time to appreciate her unique beauty, was when I truly saw them. The freckles dipped from her collarbone down to just above her breasts. _Cute._

I grabbed her by the waist, and walked her backward to the bed where I pushed her down gently and moved to her so she was perfectly center. I leaned over to my night stand for the remote to turn down the lights and turn on my IPOD. I hovered over her, but didn't quite touch her.

I'd missed being with her and we weren't even separated for that long. I wondered if I'd go crazy when she left. The connection that we'd built in two weeks and for the rest of time, would it survive five-thousand miles until we could reunite? Would the feelings last? I believed so.

"I'm so fucking lucky," I said, unable to keep her from knowing that. I let my knees finally hit the sheets and graze the sides of her now warm thighs.

"Lucky?" she squeaked. She ran a hand around the back of my neck, catching just a bit of my hair in between her fingertips.

There was just a small pause but I could hear the steady drumming of my heart, and feel the perspiration building at the back of my neck, while I gazed at her cherry lips.

"Yes." Her presence_ excited_ me; there was built up excitement and pure desire that pulsed and ached inside my chest.

"So am I." Her lips turned up in a smile and I leaned and kissed her on the side corner of her lips. I traced my fingers over the side of her face, studying her features in the darkened room. She closed her eyes as I moved my hand down her face to her collarbone and just above her breasts, connecting the freckles, which I associated as stars, like one might do when studying Greek mythology on a dark sky. She squirmed and arched her back moving like the moon rotating around the earth.

The room was definitely warmer than when we started. And then the music came lightly through the room. I had hoped that something stupid didn't come on my IPOD, because wasn't there always something unusual that happened when we were together? Right before I'd left on my trip, I'd put on the _Patience for Waiting_ EP by _Jason Reeves_ and left it in the speaker system. Music had the ability to say more than words. The acoustic guitar and humming came over the speakers.

We kissed gently, slow, focused, and I was aware of certain things.

The shifting over our bodies.

**Maybe I've been waiting for you**

Her strawberry scented hair.

**To show me there's a dreamer like you,**

The softness of her lips.

**That's waiting too, that's not afraid to lose**

The way she softly moaned and sighed into my mouth and the way she gently tugged at the sides and back of my hair.

**And maybe I've been holding on to,**

The silkiness of her body down to her hips when my hands wandered out of her hair and her feet shifting slowly across the sheets.

**All the little wrecks I've gone through**

The way her knees leaned into my skin.

The words, music, and atmosphere in my room were such a strong contrast from the hip-hop and seductive dancing beats of the club, yet the intensity was still there. It was a different kind of intense, a take-your-time, finally things are perfect type.

**I'm learning at last, I fall too fast**

I grabbed one of her arms and pushed it above her head while linking my fingers with hers and stared back at the beautiful woman under me for just a moment. Her face and arms had a little bit of a sun-kissed Italy glow to it, but the rest of her body was like porcelain; it was beautiful and delicate. Her gaze was not just lustful … I could feel it. We cared about each other more than just physically; we were friends, and … more. I wanted to show her. The lyrics wrapped around us like a blanket holding us together tightly. I lifted the pressure of my hand off and her hands found their way to my chest, before pulling my head to meet her gaze.

**But I, I don't wanna parachute into love,**

**No, I wanna skydive**

She stopped short of kissing me. Her fingers twisted in my hair. Still, we had no words. I don't know who gave in first, but when our lips found each other again, it was like a spark to a firecracker. I let my body press over hers lightly, tasting her lips and tongue and traces of lingering lip gloss. As we kissed, she somehow worked my boxers off with her leg and I pushed her panties down and pulled them off of her long, lean legs, but not before licking a trail down to her bare sweet spot. With her panties out of the way and her hand free again, she dug her nails into my hair as I licked and swirled and sucked her warm, sweet wetness as I heard her moan in approval.

"Edward, that's it baby," she moaned. My dick was rock hard, but I needed to make sure she was ready. It was satisfying to hear her approval and made me clutch tighter to her inner thigh, and focus on the movements and speed of my tongue.

"Yeah? You like that?"

"Yes, God Yes!" she mumbled. I continued to work on her with my lips and tongue, preparing her for what would come next.

I peeled my fingers from her thighs and pushed them inside of her, feeling the wetness from inside and the wetness from working on her while she caressed her breasts. It was a fantastic feast for my eyes, seeing her lose herself in the pleasure. I peeked up every now and again to see her staring down at me and moaning her approval. She rocked on my fingers as I alternated between letting her feel the hardness of my fingers to the softness of my tongue, a mixture of soft and rough that met the rhythm and speed that she wanted.

"I need you," she said all of a sudden, grabbing my shoulder and jerking me up so that we were back face-to-face.

"I need you, too. Tu sei bellezza."

"What does that mean?" she whispered.

"Beauty."

Our lips crashed together. Passion. Explosion. Desire. Need. Hands and feet became tangled together, I leaned a little too hard forward, but she pulled me further, my weight pressing over her. I swore she could tell that I wanted to say different words. But that was impossible right? We'd gone so fast, everything was rushed; maybe it was natural for feelings to be rushed too. I didn't want to carelessly say _those_ words. I needed to make sure what I felt for her was strong. Stronger than anything I'd ever experienced. All of that was experienced with kisses and touches.

I finally pushed inside of her, gliding slowly and feeling her sweet wetness envelop my dick. I felt the walls inside of her swell to take me in as I watched her arch her back. I hissed at the contact and feeling of being connected with her, physically and mentally. I watched her shift to get comfortable, and then watched the moment it became pleasurable for her as she bit her lip seductively and let out a small sigh. I watched her face carefully and a quiet moan escaped from both of us at nearly the same time as I pressed as far back as our bodies would allow. I stilled for just a split second and she gripped at my shoulders. She lifted her head a bit off of the pillow and we kissed on and off as I moved with thrusts inside of her, long and deep and slow until I found a rhythm that was steady and fast, and even a bit rough as we breathed hard and grunted and moaned in complete pleasure, while my heart pounded in my ears.

**I've seen a million faces finally,**

**One of them erases every wound I wear,**

**And leaves me bare**

I rolled her over so that she was on top and she set the new tempo, up and down and then back and forth while I gripped her hips and added thrusts to get deeper and deeper. Her perfectly perky breasts shook and bounced as she rode me, grabbing my shoulders for force and then she turned around and I was able to see and feel her ass from behind. We shifted, seamlessly from one position to another with ease. We were not quiet. It was like back in the houseboat, but who cared about the loudness because this was my home and it was just me and her. It was just more intense than it ever had been between us. I watched her reach her peak from above me, seeing her dripping with sweat, and calling my name as she came. My release came in bursts of energy, as I continued giving everything I had inside of her.

"God, Edward!" Bella screamed. "Ohmygod Ohmygod Ohmygod," she panted even when she was finished, it was like an extended orgasm that kept going.

I don't think real words came out of my mouth, just grunts and sighs as I finished.

She collapsed over me, exhausted and sweaty. I kissed her on the forehead as she shut her eyes and she snuggled into my side where we lay together, relishing the afterglow. When we were settled in for the night, we talked lightly, hearing the music playing the background. It was nice to hear as our hearts returned to its normal rhythm. When we were both just about to fall asleep, the last lyrics I heard before turning it off for the night, came back to the song that would mean much more to me. I couldn't have said it any better.

**But, I don't wanna parachute into love,**

**No, I wanna skydive**

**And fall until we fly, live until we die together,**

**If heaven is my home, you could only make it better**

"This song is beautiful," Bella mumbled, before turning silent. I didn't have the strength to answer her, but I agreed wholeheartedly.

xxxxx

Waking up with no responsibility from work, on a mini-break was great. Waking next to Bella, naked, in my bed, in Italy was _fantastic_. I still couldn't believe how lucky I was to have met her. Never had I imagined that things would have progressed so fast, yet feel so right.

The sun had just begun to peek inside the room and bits of auburn shone in her brown shiny hair. Her feet were curled in almost a fetal position, away from me and at the very edge of the bed. I smiled, remembering the point when she had actually pushed me away, mumbling something about how "hot and sweaty" I was. I scooted over and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Good morning," I whispered into her hair.

_*~*~*~WHITE~*~*~*_

**Bella**

**Tuesday**

Waking to Edward's voice is like waking to soft rain on windows when you don't have to go or be anywhere. Except rain doesn't have a sexy voice and I um, don't want to do naughty things to it. But in it, sure!

"Hi," I said, wiping the sleep from my eyes. I turned over so I could meet his gorgeous face and piercing green eyes. They had tiny flecks of gold in them, and I noticed that the intensity of the green never changed but the gold did. My weakness had always been eyes, and though I could say so much for the color of his eyes, it was a bonus for the incredible package of a man that I had scored behind them.

His hands were firmly planted around my waist and he pulled me to his apparently aroused body and began kissing my neck. The scruffiness of his pre-shaven face tickled and I giggled; he knew how to say good morning to a woman!

"Shower with me?" he said, gently.

"Mmm Hmm," I mumbled. "But first I just wanna sleep just a little bit more …"

I shut my eyes and wished that I could stay in the moment. He stopped kissing my neck and I wondered if I sounded cranky or rude. But being awake meant I had to keep a secret from Edward that I was never supposed to even know. It meant that there were other people beside Edward and me. Opening my eyes also meant that I had a kind, funny, sexy man that had no distinguishable flaws, begging me to shower with him. And he was interested in me and there was no more doubting that he was attracted to me. I was cocooned in a safe place between my boyfriend's body and a cool crinkled bed sheet; I didn't want to go anywhere.

"So I guess we'll just stay in bed all day." I heard the smile in his voice even though my eyes had closed again. "On second thought, that might be even better than getting up and showering …" But he made no further movements towards intimacy.

He wrapped one arm around my stomach and the other at my hip, laying his head over my shoulder. The sound of his breathing lulled me back into a semi-sleep state. So we stayed awhile, I don't know if it was ten minutes or one hour, until the silence was broken by his phone buzzing. He must have fallen asleep again because the sound of his phone vibrating didn't cause him to immediately react. A few minutes later he released his grip on me and slipped away to grab his phone. I turned to look at him and I was rewarded with a really nice view of his ass as he dug through our clothes pile and found the phone on the floor.

I really wanted to see shower water cascading off of that ass. I also wanted to hear the way our grunts and moans echoed off the bathroom walls. And did he have one of those fancy showers that sprayed all around and felt like rain water? These were important questions! Why didn't we get up sooner? I grinned to myself, and yawned while stretching my legs.

As I fantasized about him taking me from behind in what I was sure was some fantasy luxury hotel bathroom I'd imagined in my head, he found his phone in the chaos that was on his floor.

He pushed some buttons and made a puzzled face before setting it back down.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Um, yeah." He sat on the edge of the bed. "Tanya just sent me a cryptic message."

"Oh."

Ugh. If there was one thing that could bring me back to reality it was the name of _her_. We hadn't done any more discussing of Tanya and as much as I wanted it to be just about me and Edward, I also knew that she would always be a part of his life. Still, I couldn't help but feel that I still won; in fact, my cocky side was saying, "I'm sleeping in his bed after all ..."

Even though I didn't ask for any further information, my short response must have made him feel like I was upset.

He lay back on the bed over the covers and I brought the sheet up to my chin. It wasn't like she was going to burst down the door and demand I get out of Edward's bed; still, I felt exposed. I started seeing images in my mind, Tanya on his bed, in his shower, or even that skank that Rosalie had told me about the night before. I finally felt, not that I wasn't worthy, but jealous … jealous that I hadn't met him sooner.

"She said," he looked down at his phone screen in preparation of quoting the message, "Emma and I have a _huge_ surprise for you. Will let you know soon."

I must have been holding my breath, because I let out a sigh that sounded a bit exaggerated, but it calmed me at the same time. He leaned over and kissed the end of my nose, which caused me to smile. _I always make a mountain of a mole hill._ But at the same time, this was supposedly the perfect woman in Rosalie's eyes. Hearing her name just made me automatically tense up, but Edward's small gesture, was appreciated as I felt my shoulders relax and the tension in my neck ease out.

"Oh. Well that's neat? What do you think it is? It's not your birthday or anything is it?"

He laughed. "I have no idea what Emma could have for me, but it _is_ most likely for my birthday. It's the end of next week, on the twentieth."

"Oh! Cool! I'm excited I'll be here for it," I said. I playfully punched him. "So, were you not going to tell me that your birthday was coming up?"

"It's not a big deal. When's your birthday, by the way?" he asked.

"Well, you don't think yours is a big deal, so mine certainly isn't—"

He poked me in the side. It was supposed to just be a little nudge, but since I was terribly ticklish, it caused me to jerk myself back. This wouldn't have been so bad, had I realized that I wasn't as far away from the edge of the bed as I'd originally thought. In a matter of seconds I hit the floor with a loud thud, bringing with me the sheet that I had cocooned in.

"Ow," I said rubbing my ass and laughing. Edward just peered over the side of the bed, staring down at me with an amused look. He jumped down and pinned me down with his legs.

"Oh I see. You're ticklish. When's your birthday?" he asked, putting his hands on the sides of my stomach.

"Don't tickle me or I'll kick you," I warned.

"You wouldn't…"

He tickled the side of my stomach and couldn't help how my body reacted. I laughed and at the same time pushed my feet up in a fetal position, and then kicked, hitting his chest hard.

"Hmmf!" he said, backing off me.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry! I warned you!" I sat up, looking at him and apologizing.

"Well it's good to know that you can protect yourself," he laughed.

"Damn straight! Oh, and my birthday is the 13th of September."

"Cool, then I'll be back in Seattle when it's your birthday." He smiled. He probably didn't notice it, but that sentence made me extremely pleased. Not because he would be in Seattle for my birthday, but the fact that he was looking forward to the future—even if the future would only be three months away.

"Also, from down here, your room is hella messy. It looks like a frat house."

I looked around and frowned at the mess of clothes on the floor. I wanted to gather some of his things up off the floor, maybe put some things in the washer for him. I made a mental note to discuss this a bit further down the line. As I was being helped off the floor, my eyes focused on a folded piece of paper I saw sticking partially out of one of the pairs of jeans on the floor. It was hard to miss since it was on bright pink paper.

"This isn't even that bad. I just got back from that trip. I still need to get everything back in order."

"Yes, that's true. I guess I'll have to excuse the mess this time," I teased. My mind was quickly occupied with thoughts of sun, fun, and a fabulous time at the beach.

"We really need to get going, and I'm starving," he said.

After looking at the clock and determining that we didn't have much time to waste, we ended up taking a quick innocent shower together. It was a pretty fancy shower after all, shower spray from two sides, spacious... We'd need to explore the wasted opportunities in there another time.

We also had a very quick breakfast. Rosalie wasn't around and Emmett was already at work, so we had a pretty easy going morning all to ourselves. It was nice to have a moment for _us_ for at least once and not have to share a morning with anyone.

_xxxxx_

"Look at you doing the walk of shame!" Alice greeted me when I walked inside the apartment wearing my crinkled dress and heels from the previous night. Jasper laughed and nodded at Edward as he walked inside.

"Shut up, bitch," I said hugging her. "I'll bet you didn't look as classy as I do now. You drank waaaay more than I did!"

"She had her head in the toilet this morning," Jasper said.

"Jasper!" Alice scolded.

"It's not like I didn't already know that," I added.

She crossed her arms over her chest and Jasper whispered something in her ear that seemed to make her forget that he'd "told" on her. She hung her arms around his neck and said "I love you, honey." After they had their little moment, Jasper turned his attention to Edward. "What are your plans today?"

While they chatted, Alice came with me into my room to help me with my outfit. We giggled and discussed some of the more memorable moments of our nights. When she asked me more about the bar, I was almost tempted to spill the beans about Rosalie. It was already eating at me and it hadn't even been one full day yet.

_Today I will not think about secrets or anything negative. I am going to enjoy the time with Edward._

I stripped off my dress and put on a white bikini that hadn't been worn yet under some khaki shorts and a white racer-back tank top.

_*~*~*~WHITE~*~*~*_

**Edward**

"The scenery here is just so freaking gorgeous! It's like I'm vacationing in a postcard," Bella said, staring out of the window. We had just parked the car and we'd taken so long that it was already almost late afternoon.

I laughed. "That's a unique way of describing its beauty."

Outside, the wind was blowing lightly but I could tell that the day would be hot. I felt my skin warm up immediately as the sun beat down on us. The beach wasn't packed but it wasn't empty and there was a bit of a hike to get to the actual beach. I held Bella's hand in one hand and the beach blanket in another with a gym bag of sunblock, some towels, a few snacks, and a small cooler with some drinks over my shoulder.

Once we got to the sand we had to kick off our flip-flops because they were making it difficult to walk in. The problem was the sand was so hot we were literally jumping over it.

"I've got a trick I use," I said when Bella kept saying "ouch" at the burning sand below our feet. "We will walk a few feet, then twist our feet into the sand to get to the cooler sand."

And so we did that on the long walk to find a spot onto the beach. It was completely silly and juvenile and people were looking at us funny, but it really worked and we managed to get to a good spot without too much burning of our feet.

When we put the blanket down and settled to look at the waters it was stunning. The shore was a pearlescent ivory sand, and the water was a translucent turquoise with waves lapping softly. The sky and waters seemed to merge into one.

We took turns stripping into our bathing suits. Bella wore a white bikini that I knew would drive me into a frenzy once it was wet. I needed to be reminded that this was a public beach and I couldn't do anything crazy around other people. We put on sunblock that probably wouldn't do anything because there was no shade on the beach.

When we were settled, we sat and just observed the beauty of it, before finally deciding to get in because it was way too hot.

"I forgot to tell you that I can't swim," she said to me as we were walking into the cool water.

"That's okay, I know how to swim and I won't let you out of my sight."

I held her hand as we walked slowly into the water.

"Oh my gosh, this water is so cold!" Bella said, gripping my hand.

When we were about stomach deep, we counted to three before submerging out bodies under to get used to the feeling of the water. It was fantastic after that, so refreshing.

"I really like that bathing suit," I said after she emerged from underwater.

"Oh, I know you do," she says confidently, throwing her arms around my neck. And I knew that _she knew_ that I liked it.

We kissed in the water, but as there were others around, it wasn't as passionate as it could have been. Still we splashed around the water and laughed and had a great time.

When our fingers and toes got wrinkly, we took a break from swimming and spread out on our beach blanket to try off. We sipped our sodas while just enjoying the sounds of the water hitting the shore and looking out into water that seemed to stretch around us.

After our drinks we stretched out onto the beach blanket. She was lying on her back, hand shielding her eyes and I was on my side facing her. I had a stupid grin on my face because Bella had just caught me more than once looking over her body and she'd been brushing her delicate hands over my chest and arms. Her face flushed a bright pink when we'd kissed and she'd moaned a bit and we ended up in a rolling laughter. Her sexual appetite was as strong as mine, and it was definitely apparent. When we'd stopped laughing, we lay there, just feeling the sun on our skin.

"So, aren't you glad I offered to be your tour guide?" I asked.

She nodded and gave me a closed-mouth smile. "You are the sexiest tour guide I've ever known," she said. She paused a minute, looking thoughtful. "Oh wait! I take that back. When I went to Vegas that one time—"

I went from smiling proudly to doing my sad puppy dog eyes in a matter of seconds.

"Kidding!" she said, poking me in my side. "Hopefully, I'm the cutest tourist you've ever had the opportunity of assisting?"

"You know you are, Pinky. You're better than cute, you are incredibly beautiful and um, talented."

"Ooh! Ooh! I'm talented too?"

I nodded. She looked at me with her "aw" face, and I was putty in her hands.

"Seriously though … I don't wanna leave," she said softly. There was a quiet sadness in her tone.

I didn't want to think about her leaving either, so I attempted to change the subject.

"So what did you think of our group outing yesterday? It was fun, huh?"

"Oh, um …" she started. She rubbed her eyes. I was a bit puzzled that it didn't seem to be an easy answer for her. There was something that flashed on her face that seemed like she generally didn't know how to answer the question. "It was nice."

The way she paused before answering and the way she suddenly focused on something behind me made me feel like a complete jack-ass. Did I miss something big? She seemed fine when we were together both at the bar and back at home.

"Okay … did I miss something? Did one of Jasper's friends hit on you or? Did Rosalie-"

"I had an awesome time, sweetie. I promise. And no, they were nice, maybe one of them did flirt with me but it wasn't a big deal. Obviously I wasn't interested."

I felt a tinge of jealousy surface before I sighed a bit. "Okay. You can talk to me about anything, ya know? And, I'd gladly tell any guy where they can go, if they take the flirting too far."

"Yes, I do know," she said. "I had a great time with you and everyone yesterday. That's the truth."

I felt satisfied with her response. She knew she could talk to me about anything.

"Alright, well, you ready to leave the beach? I have one more surprise for you today."

Her eyes lit up. "Yeah?"

We packed our things up and I drove her to the place where I'd been less than a handful of times in my life.

_*~*~*~WHITE~*~*~*_

**Bella**

"My surprise is dinner?" I asked when we got out at and walked toward a restaurant that looked so worn down and dark that I thought it must have been shut down. It was awesome that he was taking me out for dinner, but I didn't understand how it was a surprise.

"No, this isn't it. I was just dying for some food, so I figured you might be hungry too."

Inside, the place was quite comfy. In a neighborhood that seemed to be strictly and pure Italian, was a tiny pizza parlor that seemed more American than Italian. We ate delicious home-style pizza and relaxed. I didn't realize how hungry I was, but the swimming and sun really had me famished. He kept looking at the time and that worried me a bit. It was getting late and I knew it would be dark soon.

When we were done eating, we drove some more and still wouldn't tell me where we were headed. After another short drive, we parked in the middle of nowhere. Or so it seemed. Edward led me by hand and after a bit of a walk, we were jumping over a short wooden fence. A weather-worn "no trespassing" sign was posted at a shifted angle.

Once on the right side of the fence, we stood in a field of wild flowers in bloom around us in pinks, yellows, violets, and an overwhelming amount of little white clustered ones.

"This is," I paused, gaping. "Absolutely amazing!"

"I don't know who owns this property, but when I was little my mom and dad brought us here. It's sometimes easy to forget when I'm here on business, that there are places like this. Peaceful, beautiful… I was hoping I'd remember where this place was. I've never come back as an adult, but we came here a few times when I was younger."

I couldn't believe he was sharing this with me.

"And these flowers," he said, leaning down to pick one of the white clustered ones up. I don't remember this being a field of flowers. This was a good time to bring you, apparently."

He handed me the flower and led me up a bit of a hill and then I saw the water below. It was what had to be a lake. Large trees lined the edges and I could see a few brown ducks swimming around. It was like a deserted park. Tranquil.

"Ok now, I'm not sure where to look, but we're going to look up at the sky at 7:23. That's when sunset is supposed to be."

At approximately the time he said, we were sitting on top of that low hill and the sky around us turned from blue to purple and yellow to a pinkish orange color and we had a perfect view of the sun descending. I hooked my arm in his and rubbed gently, leaning in to him. The day was magnificent and spectacular. We both marveled at how beautiful it was. After we'd taken in the beauty of Italian nature, he got up suddenly.

"Let's go get a closer view of the water," he said. He gave me a hand and helped me onto my feet. We carefully climbed our way down to the water's edges where there was still enough light to see around us.

He turned to look at me. "It is ridiculously hot isn't it? Quick skinny dip before we head home?"

Edward removed his shirt, while I stood there shocked. He didn't wait for a response before shredding the rest of his clothes. I'd never done that before, but I wasn't scared. I followed his lead and soon, I was kicking off shoes and shedding clothes too. We splashed inside the cold shallow water without any clothes. It was free and exciting.

"Well I guess I can scratch this one off my bucket-list," I said while he laughed.

"We aren't going to get further in, because I can't see how deep this goes." He held onto me tightly and my arms held lightly over his shoulders around his head.

"What if we get caught here?" I asked. "Could we go to jail? Is it worth jail-time?"

He laughed, and then kissed me. We didn't stay very long.

After swimming in the ocean and the impromptu skinny-dip, I couldn't wait to get under a nice hot shower. I didn't mind if it was mine, but Edward's might be preferable.

_*~*~*~WHITE~*~*~*_

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_**A/N 2: Thanks so much for reading! You guys... i was 3 reviews shy from hitting the goal that would have made me sob like a baby. I think that was my highest reviewed chapter yet! Keep them coming! My readers are flawesome, and I appreciate every comment, no matter how insignificant you think it may be. It would be awesome possum to get a review for this chapter. I was told that reviewing this chapter might make it rain here in Texas to fight these wildfires! We need it!**_

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This is a very light chapter because... damn it, they deserve it! Also, I use it as a peace offering because we've got some drama that is going to make the story not really angst-y, but a little heavier on the drama._ Prepare yourselves! _Also, I'm going to really try to get on a faster update schedule. I appreciate those of you who haven't flounced me, because of my posting schedule. _  
_

Picture of the "mystery white flower" in the field http: / / www. flickr . com / photos / 77479777N00/4077047315/ (remove extra spaces!) Can someone ID that flower for me? It's prettttty. ;)

Special thanks, to the women who make my work presentable. To LovelyBrutal, piperann, and blahblahblah, you rock. To anyone who has ever rec'd my story on a blog or on twitter, you know who you are and I love you! I owe you all something really, really valuable, but, maybe you'll accept this shout out instead? *blows kisses*

I'm not gonna rec fanfic. I'm immersed in YA Dystopians, atm, so guess what I'm rec'ing? Book Recs! "Divergent" by Veronica Roth (obviously!) But also, "Across the Universe" by Beth Revis. Check them out, then come fangirl w/ me.

With love from Texas ya'll!

-~*Lo*~


	11. Gray Colored Heart

Disclaimer: I own my original story.

A/N: There is some Italian in this chapter. (You will find the translation in the end notes at the end of the chapter). I don't know fluent Italian, so if you notice errors, please send me a pm so I can correct it.**  
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**~*LAST CHAPTER*~ Bella and Edward had some fun at the beach and had some nice quiet time on private property. It was all fluff and happy times. Now, it's back to work and back to… drama?**

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**Chapter 11: Gray Colored Heart**

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_The color Gray can be practical, timeless, and is one of the colors of wisdom. Gray affects us mentally and physically by causing things to be unsettling and/or expectant. It can also be associated with loss; however, because the color is between black and white, it is the color of compromise._

___*~*~*~GRAY~*~*~*_

**Edward **

**WEEK TWO- Thursday**

Buzz! Buzz!

A soft and delicate hand brushed against my thigh and there was a quick sleepy intake of breath. Her toes curled under the covers, but otherwise she wasn't bothered by the distraction. My phone was buzzing somewhere on the floor since I'd accidently knocked it over during the last snooze. I half leaned and half fell out of bed trying to reach for it. When my eyes were open enough to find the phone, it took a minute to realize it was a text message and not my alarm. I sat down on the floor, rubbed my face, and yawned to try to focus.

Text from Emmett: ** Yo! Why is your car still in the driveway? You calling in sick? Is Bella with you?**

The time on my cellphone read just past 8:00 a.m., which meant I was incredibly late. I peeked up from the floor and enjoyed a few extra seconds of Bella curled up in the bed. It was quite a sight. The beautiful silhouette of Bella's body wrapped in the duvet—mine—and how her hip had been lightly pressed against my own just minutes earlier was enough to want to call in sick. She must have felt my eyes on her because she stirred from her sleep and I watched her pout while squinting through her sleepy eyes.

"Bella, I'm sorry to wake you, but I'm very late," I whispered.

"What?" she asked while rubbing her temple.

I just wanted to stay in bed. I was supposed to have awoken an hour and a half earlier. After my two day vacation, I had to get back to work. Reality was waking in my dark room with pounding rain on the roof and windows and a sweet girl pressed into my thigh. I had set the time at the exact moment I had to wake up and I was only going to rest my eyes for a few extra minutes. I was just too warm with her to bother with things like getting ready. Admittedly, I hit the snooze button a few or multiple times and must have turned it off.

"Oh no," Bella said. "I knew this would happen." I sat down back onto the bed beside her. She gave me the look that said, "I told you so!" I answered with my own nonverbal eye glance that said, "I know you did."

"I need to shower real quick. Do you want to join me?" I asked. "Save water, save time…"

She playfully punched me in my side and we both smiled. "So, you really want to be late, huh? I was about to answer, but she continued. "Or, actually… don't answer that. Tempting, but no. I'll shower at home."

"You sure?" I gave my best puppy-dog eyes impression.

She seemed to think about it for 0.04 seconds, before shoving me off the bed toward the bathroom.

Two days and nights off in a row does not a vacation make; however, I was able to wake next to Bella on both days. Not only that, but I got to spend some really enjoyable time with her. The weather had been perfect and I really couldn't have asked for any better. It seemed fitting that the day I had to get back to work was the day when the weather outside looked more like a dreary, rainy Washington day.

I had the speediest shower in history and when I got out Bella was dressed and sitting on my bed making a messy ponytail on her head.

"I called Alice. She and Jasper said they'd pick me up," she said. She paused for a moment. "She's already awake and I told her I'd wait for her on the porch. I just need your address and she'll plug it into their GPS."

"Hmm… I don't know… that's really out of their way," I responded. I took another glance at the alarm clock. If I were to leave immediately and drive a little faster than usual, I'd probably make it on time. It was at my insistence that Bella ended up staying overnight; I had to make it work.

"It was my fault that we overslept. I'll take you."

I had figured I'd get up extra early to take her home before I left for work; in fact, Bella was the one who brought it up that it wasn't a good idea. All I could think of was that I wanted her to stay another night, for the simple reason that I just craved her in my bed. It was probably not the best idea I'd ever had. I knew there was an important meeting I had to lead, and it would be highly unprofessional for me to postpone it since several board members had flown in especially to attend.

We practically raced downstairs and found Emmett and Rosalie reading the newspaper and having a cold cereal breakfast.

"Ah-ha! He lives!" Emmett exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. He laughed at his lame joke and then said a formal, "Good morning, Bella."

"Good Morning, Emmett…. Rosalie," Bella responded with a timid smile. Rosalie looked up from the newspaper that she was reading and nodded.

"Shit, you are gonna be late, brother. I'm getting ready to head out, myself."

"Really?" I mocked, shaking my head. "But, seriously, thanks for waking me up. I swear I only hit the snooze button twice, but I must have turned it off instead."

"Nah, don't mention it. I just wanted to rag on your ass, since you are always," he paused and did air quotations, "Mr. On-Time."

I felt my face get hot. I never cared before, but it seemed Emmett was trying to get some sort of reaction from me when I was with Bella. I turned to Bella, who giggled but didn't say anything.

Rosalie cleared her throat. "So, Bella… Emmett and I thought it would be a good idea to take you home. I'm travelling that way to do some shopping, anyway."

"Rosalie, you don't have to—" I started. Rosalie turned to me and gave me a scowl.

"I want to. I miss my girlfriends and I need to do some girl-talking anyway. This house would be like a frat house if I wasn't here. Also, it will give Bella and me a chance to get to know each other better." She looked back to Bella.

"Um," Bella said, looking at Rosalie then back to her shoes. I liked that Rosalie was showing me that she could be mature. I also knew I completely understood if Bella could never get along with her. It really took me a bit to even warm up to her and I'd known her since high school. Rosalie was unforgivably rude to Bella and I didn't want to push it anymore. Bella had seemed to distance herself from Rosalie and Emmett at the bar. It was her call.

"I said I would take you, Bella," I whispered and gently rubbed her back.

Emmett grinned like an idiot and I wondered what was so funny.

"Please?" Rosalie whined. "Also, I'll bet if Edward leaves right now, he'll get there on time. He's a speed demon when he wants to be."

We were in a tug-of-war, but I didn't want Bella to feel pressured by Rosalie.

"Okay," Bella said after a few seconds.

I looked at her in surprise.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes. You better get your cute ass moving. I know the meeting is important to you."

I don't know if it was the fact that she said that I had a cute ass, or the fact that she was willing to take an extremely long ride with Rosalie because she didn't want me to be late, but it made me smile like I was in a toothpaste commercial. She said nothing about girl bonding or talking with Rosalie, so I hoped it wouldn't be incredibly awkward for her. Even if it was my fault, it made me happy that she was doing something that she wasn't thrilled about—for me. I wasn't crazy about the idea, but I knew that Rosalie and Bella could be civil to each other.

I grabbed her hands, pulled her toward me and kissed her quickly on her lips, even though I wanted to pick her up again and take her back to my room and hide with her under covers. Her mouth tasted like peppermint and when she pulled away she crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue a bit at me and I saw a peppermint candy in her mouth.

Bella was wearing dark blue skinny jeans and a gray tank top. Her pony tail was a lumpy brown and auburn twist on top of her head, she had no makeup on but her chocolate eyes were bright, her lips the color of her blushing pink and she looked absolutely stunning and fresh-faced. Tanya refused to be seen without makeup for the time I was with her. And I was hard pressed to think of any other girl that allowed me to see them as they were made—natural.

Bella reached into the back pocket of her jeans and came up with something in her small hand. She passed it to me and I opened it up to see one unopened peppermint candy. She did the "come hither" with her finger and when I lowered my head down she whispered.

"Since I can't kiss you the way I want to in front of your brother, you'll have to pretend that you are tasting my peppermint mouth."

I raised an eyebrow and kissed her quickly on her freckled nose before opening the wrapper and putting it quickly in my mouth.

"I will," I whispered.

I never even knew I liked peppermints, but I had a brand new appreciation for them.

"I owe you breakfast, Pin—Bella. And I'll call you later!" I said, turning to leave.

Emmett raised an eyebrow, but didn't say a word. We both headed for the door to drive to work.

**xxxx**

"So… are you two getting serious?" Emmett asked as we walked outside of the house toward our separate cars.

I nearly choked on the peppermint that Bella had given me.

"I see the signs written all over your face, dude. I don't think this girl is going to be your usual fling."

"I don't meet women for flings, Emmett. I've just have had bad luck with the women that I am attracted to or who are attracted to me. I don't want to jinx things. Bella and I are good together, and I will do my best to keep her."

"I can kind of tell. There's something in your eyes. You have this look…" He stops walking and looks at me with a weird face with a kind of softness in his eyes. I laugh because it is just so ridiculous and he's slowing me down. "I don't know how to describe it but, maybe like, remember when you got your first XBOX?"

"What?" I laughed and started to move again toward my car. "You're describing the way I look at Bella like the way I looked getting my first XBOX?"

"Yes, but it's not a bad thing though! I think it's a great thing! You're getting old and you know mom wants you to settle down and give up bachelorhood."

_Yeah and she'd love for Tanya and me to get married so we'd be one big happy family. She still harbors bad feelings toward me for not trying to make it work._

**xxx**

The conversation shifted once we had parked our cars in our reserved spots. I'd managed to get into work in record time, but I was still late by about twenty minutes.

"I think I've figured it out," Emmett said as we were walking into the office.

Figured what out?"

"She didn't want to drink at the bar, she's having really bitchy mood swings, I haven't seen any girly products in the bathroom and this morning she threw up. When I tried to help her she shooed me away. She wanted to know if Bella was here this morning after I texted you. She was the one who suggested some 'girl' time with Bella. She's pregnant. She's gotta be pregnant, there's just no other explanation."

_Besides the girly products, couldn't it also be that's just the way she always acts? Could it be that they are finally over the honeymoon phase?_

He was physically there but his mind was far, far away.

We finally made it into the building and walked into the deserted elevator.

"That's great. But I seriously doubt that she'd go to Bella for that type of news. They barely know each other and haven't got off to the greatest start. She has Tanya and her other friends back home. I mean, I'd be willing to bet you some cold hard cash that Rosalie's just bored and needs a girl to bond with. And I hate to be a pessimist, but wouldn't she just go directly to you? Why hasn't she told you? Or, more importantly, why haven't you asked her?"

"Well, here's my theory," he started, shifting his briefcase from one arm to the other. "She wants to make sure she's certain, you know, since we've had so many disappointments. She doesn't want to get my hopes up. Also, her doctor's at home. I'm positive that she would want to share the news with family all at once, maybe by throwing some sort of party or something. She would _not_ be shy with the news once she knows for sure. I'll give her a bit more time and then I'm just going to ask her, point blank. Also, last night she said she needed to tell me something important and then seemed to switch topics mid-sentence."

"Why do you think the topics switched?"

"She said this: 'I need to tell you something.' But then she paused and said that she thinks she wants to dye her hair."

"Huh?"

"Exactly! Would you call that important? Plus, she said she wanted to dye it brown." He rolled his eyes. "She loves being a natural blonde."

We made it up to the office and offered quick hellos to everyone.

"Well, I hope then that it's true. I really do," I said, slapping his shoulder just as we parted ways to head to our offices. "See ya later, man," Emmett said, enthusiastically. I couldn't tell if he heard me.

The thought had crept up into my mind, but I didn't want to give my two-cents because of the sensitive nature of what he and Rosalie had gone through.

Jessica's dull expression greeted me at my desk. "You're late." It felt so wrong to be bordered by walls and back to reality of having to work when I could have been in bed with Bella. I knew Jessica would be in a bad mood when I walked into the building. She had called four times and left three messages for me in a span of about 30 minutes as I was driving into work.

"You had two missed calls this morning; I let them go to voicemail. Everyone's here for the meeting. They are waiting in conference room two, and have been in there for about ten minutes. The intern is serving them coffee."

"Okay, great," I answered with a smile. My sarcasm didn't come across. She hurried off to a filing cabinet without saying anything further.

I unlocked my desk and started gathering the notes and talking points for the meeting.

I couldn't help but smile at the memories of my two-day vacation with Bella in her bikini, and taking her to the spot that always reminded me that life was so much different when it was untouched by the modern day bright lights and buildings and cars. I also remembered the following day when we were super tourists and hit up two museums and were yelled at in Italian by a museum employee when we walked into what we thought was a deserted room to make out.

I had to focus. I had a meeting to lead.

I looked at the caller-ID on the two calls that I had missed. One was an inter-office call from a colleague and the other was from…. Tanya?

I had absolutely no time to hear either of the messages. I straightened my tie, ran my hand through my hair and made my way to the conference room.

___*~*~*~GRAY~*~*~*_

**Bella**

_Where is the alcohol in this place? Is nine a.m. too early to drink hard liquor?_

"I really would like to do a bit of talking, Bella," she said, once the click of the entry door was heard to signal that it really was me and Rosalie.

"Okay."

"First, however, where are my manners?"

_You have manners? _

"Would you like something for breakfast?"

_Depends. Does it contain poison?_

"No, that's okay!" I said, a bit too enthusiastically. My stomach growled loudly immediately calling my bluff. _Yay._

Rosalie shook her head. "I didn't say I was gonna make you breakfast, just that you're welcome to our refrigerator and pantry. Help yourself. I haven't taken my shower or put on my makeup, I need some time to get ready. Do you mind?"

"No problem. Actually, I'd like to shower too. We woke up in such a rush, I didn't get a chance."

"Great. You can shower in Edward's room. Let's meet back here when we're done."

When she turned to leave, my stomach growled again. I supposed it would be a good idea to eat in the event Rosalie planned to murder me. I found some strawberry yogurt and poured myself a bowl of cereal. As I crunched the cereal, I tried to remember all the worst-case scenario survival advice I'd learned from TV.

What the hell was I thinking? She wouldn't murder me. All signs would point to her and her hatred of me. It would be an open and shut case. But maybe, just maybe, she thought it was worth it. I chuckled softly, and then took out my cellphone.

Text to Alice:** No need to pick me up after all. Rosalie is driving me. I'll text you when I'm leaving. Please send help if: 1) I'm not back in less than one hour after my text, 2) you get a call with screaming, or 3) You hear the code word: Hellllllp!**

Text from Alice**: Remember the best defense is always THE EYES. Go for her eyes! Love ya! **

I giggled and after I finished eating, I headed upstairs to take a shower.

"Jesus. This place is a wreck," I muttered once I was back in Edward's room.

The room looked even worse than the first night I'd seen it. There were about two layers of clothing on the floor and as he'd left in a rush this morning, his closet was left wide open.

Edward could get away with being messy. He didn't have many flaws. In fact, as far as I could tell, having a messy room was his only flaw. His car wasn't messy, and he wasn't sloppy in his appearance. Or, maybe his flaw was his psycho sister-in-law.

I decided to make the bed, at least, since I had contributed to that part of the mess. It was such a shame for the room to be so disastrous. The space was just beautiful and the bed… god, that bed was great in more ways than one. Once the bed had been made, it seemed like such a shame for the rest of the room to be in such utter chaos. I shoved what I could into the closet and shut the closet door.

"Better," I said aloud.

But it wasn't enough. I started sorting the shirts and socks scattered in various parts of the room and put them on a pile on the floor. He would at least have a head start on a laundry pile. I gathered up the jeans and pants littering the floor and put them in a separate pile. Somewhere in the mess a pink piece of paper slipped to the floor. I picked it up but couldn't remember which pair of pants or jeans they came from. It took only a second to realize it was the "mystery" pink paper, I'd seen before. I shoved the slip of paper into the pocket of the first pair and went to shower.

While I showered, my curiosity began to build. _It's nothing. Calling it a "mystery" was playing with my mind. It IS something. I have no business looking. I do have a right to know if I'm being played. I missed the signs before with James, it could happen again. _But the thing I knew was that Edward was different. A somehow convinced myself that a peek couldn't hurt and so I came out of my shower with a resolve to do what my gut said.

I held the folded paper in my hand, the devil and angel fighting on my shoulders. And then, a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach; I knew I was horrible for letting curiosity and paranoia get to me, but I did it anyway. I opened it up in one fold. It looked like a bunch of gibberish. But it looked like beautiful written gibberish. It was handwritten in black ink, with fancy cursive writing.

**Mi manchi****molto,****Edward. ****E 'incredibile che****abbiamo trovato****l'altro,****ancora una volta****dopo tanto tempo****è passato.****Cominciamo****da dove avevamo interrotto****e saremo****felici insieme.****Non vedo l'ora****di sentire da voi****: ****06 21 70 30 58 .**

**Irina**

It was obviously a note addressed to Edward, that much was certain. "E 'incredibile"had to mean incredible and "tempo è passato" time passed? The number, I believe was Italian or at least European, and the name at the end was definitely the person who wrote it. If it was a name, it was a very unusual one. I'd never heard of anyone with that name before. I folded the paper back up and shoved it back into one of the pockets. I wasn't panicking. I was glad not to know anything more about it. It wasn't my business and since it was written in Italian, even more reason to let it go.

_I will not dwell on it. _

I headed back downstairs and expected to see Rosalie, but she hadn't come down yet. I got immersed in a game of Angry Birds until Rosalie finally emerged.

She came out looking like a fashionable Barbie right down to the expensive shoes and salon-perfect hair. The only thing I noticed was that her eyes looked a bit red.

"Um, so can we talk about some things while I drive you home?" she asked, timidly.

"If you're going to talk to me as a person, yes, but if you're going to be rude or threatening, I think it's best that we not talk," I answered.

"Deal."

Text to Alice: **On my way home. Pray.**

Alice to me: **Timer set.**

We drove a few minutes with no talking. I decided to break the silence. She no longer intimidated me; it probably because I knew she was vulnerable.

"Okay, so are we going to talk or…" I mumbled.

"I don't know how to tell him," started. "I don't even know what I'm confessing to? Cheating? The pregnancy? The fact that I'm not sure if it's Emmett's or not? It's not one thing, it's multiple things. I tried to tell him and all I could think of is that there are a thousand ways that our relationship could end and only one way we'd even make it through this. I think he's getting suspicious. I know I'm pregnant. I mean, it could be his. I don't know… I just don't know what to do. And Tanya said…"

She was wearing sunglasses, even though the sky was dark with rain clouds. I couldn't see her eyes and I think that might have been the point. Her words grew increasingly panicked. Two tears slid down her cheeks. Our conversations always had a weird muddled energy that was a mixture of madness and awkwardness. We could scream at each other or cry, it was just so intense. Every time I'd experienced a fantastic moment on this vacation, something equally upsetting had drawn me away from it.

"Tanya said…" Another tear, this one rolled off her cheek and over her chin.

I was so totally _over_ hearing about Tanya this and that… I disliked her already and I always believed that everyone deserved a chance to get to be known without external third party information or gossip. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. But everything that Rosalie had said about her made me wish she was not in the picture at all. So maybe this was a flaw of Edward's after all. I waited to hear what the absolutely perfect Tanya had to say about the situation and more importantly, why was I still being drug into Rosalie's mess?

"Tanya said Emmett doesn't need to know about my fling with… the guy. She said he will never forgive me because he's that stubborn—just like Edward. She says that we both wanted a baby and we've worked past our problems, we deserve to be happy."

It puzzled me for a good minute. Tanya wanted her to lie. _Is that really the right decision?_ I let my mind dictate the words without really thinking. And what did she mean that Edward was stubborn?

"Look, Rosalie. No offense, but I'm a bit stunned that you seem to want _my _opinion. "

"I just think that now that you know… having an outside observer might be able to give me unbiased advice?"

"I guess I can understand that. I don't know about your fling or how long you've known the other guy or if Emmett knows him. I can't tell you what you need to do. The only thing I can do is give you my personal opinion. If it were my best friend in your situation…. I'd tell her that it's important to be honest. What if the guy told someone or what if Emmett found out by someone other than you? How would he feel? Wouldn't that be worse? I can tell you from personal experience how it is to be on the other end of your situation. It brings up lots of anger for me; personally, it made me feel like a complete idiot. But I also can't say how something like this impacts a marriage."

And then… a lump in my throat and what felt like huge rocks being dropped into the pit of my stomach. I had been telling her to be honest when I was going to pretend that I didn't let the pink note with the fancy handwriting get the best of me? Who was I to be in any sort of position to be giving my opinion on the situation? And again, the nagging at the back of my brain, bringing up the bad memories, the insecurities, the stupid doubts about my past relationship were resurfacing. Forget Tanya. I was tired of being me. I was my own worst enemy. And, not only that, I knew something that would hurt Emmett, which could in turn, hurt Edward. There was no use. I had secrets from him and I would have to confess in order to clear my conscience. But when?

Rosalie began speaking again and unbeknownst to her, I was raging a war inside my own head. I was a terrible girlfriend and girl-friend.

"It would kill me if Emmett found out about my 'thing' with Royce. That's the problem. I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. Emmett will be devastated if I tell him I cheated when we were apart. It will make him ecstatic to know that I'm pregnant…if he doesn't know that there's potential for the baby to not be his. There are so many emotions that are involved and I'm not supposed to be stressed. It's not good for the baby. I'm starting to get sick and just about any kind of scent is making me nauseous. I was able to hide the sickness so far but it's happening more often and not just in the mornings. And I should be on my period. And my clothes are feeling a bit snug. And, I'm obsessed with looking at my belly in the mirror." She says each statement in rapid, almost frenzied bursts. "I could swear that I already see a tiny bump that must be impossible for anyone to even see. And I'm… excited yet frightened. Does that make sense?" She takes a deep breath and doesn't wait for me to answer. "I've wanted, or, _we've_ wanted a baby for so long. I want Emmett to share in the excitement… but am I allowed?"

Her last question lingered and I frowned. So why did I feel so terrible?

"I wanted to let you know that I need just a little bit more time. I'll do it after Edward's birthday. Please don't say anything. We don't need to drag Edward into our mess. I know it's unfair to have told you all this about me. I know that we've had this crazy start, and things and actions can't be unsaid. I feel like in some ways, telling you was my best decision. It has been somewhat freeing. Now that I've gotten these feelings out of the way, someone that is outside of my close circle, I feel like I have the right tools to help me talk to Emmett."

I could feel the sincerity in the words for the first time. It finally didn't feel like her words were laced with double meaning or threats or protection for herself. Maybe it was because there was a lot at stake, but I believed her. I had to keep my mouth shut and let her handle it. She wasn't my friend; she didn't claim to be, nor did she have to be, but at least I felt we were at the same communication level.

_Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. _

The next ten minutes were filled with pop music and me staring off into the gray yet gorgeous Italian sky and scenery. Periods of intermittent rain changed the gray clouds into dark oil puddles on the streets and foggy windows clouding my vision.

Just as we were driving down the last street before getting to Alice's place, Rosalie surprised me. I had already begun to think that we were done talking.

"Edward isn't into surprise parties or making a big deal about his birthday," she said suddenly.

"I didn't think he was either." I nodded. "He has a very easy-going personality."

She pulled up right outside my building and at the same time pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. She turned to look directly at me. I noticed her eyes still had a trace of redness in them.

"Yeah. At work you should see him though. He's a shark. Anyway, Emmett and I have worked up a low-key house party. We'd like to invite you and your friends. He'll give you the details later."

"I'd be happy to be there. I'll ask Alice and Jasper. Thanks for the ride."

"Thank you, Bella."

I nodded, gave a polite smile, and took one final glance at her before getting out of the car. A sort of half-smile appeared on her face. Her shoulders were tense, but there was a bit of a shift in her body-language. Her face looked a little less pale, her cheeks had a bit more red to them, and a bit of relief washed over her face in the second I looked over at her. She almost looked like a different girl.

**xxxxx **

Alice and I had planned to go shopping ever since I'd discovered that Edward's birthday was coming up the following weekend. When I got home, I recapped the previous day's events with Alice. We joked about Rosalie "kidnapping" me, and then I told her about the party. She said that she'd loved to go and was sure Jasper would too. We waited a while for the weather to clear and then decided to get an early start to shopping.

We drove a short distance from where they lived to an outdoor shopping mall. The goal was to look for something for Edward's birthday. My mind was momentarily refocused away from my stupid relationship past. I had to live in the present. The present was Edward. I had a couple of gift ideas, but mostly I just hoped to come across some inspiration in one of the shops. We'd only managed to go through a couple of clothes stores while I tried out some new dresses, skirts, and blouses. I didn't know what we'd be doing, but I wanted to be prepared anyway.

I made the mistake of asking for gift advice.

"Sexy lingerie? You could surprise him with some really slutty looking number. Or, like fuck him in like an elevator or something. Oh! Oh!" Alice claps. "Sex toyssssssss! I know the perfect shop! I could call them for you!"

"God Alice. Call them? Are you serious?"

"Dead serious. When you are home by yourself in military housing with a bunch of other girls by themselves, during long stretches of time, you've gotta explore the ins and outs of the city. We went into basically every shop. Jasper was glad to move because he says my shopping habits have decreased and he said those places near base were just trying to get us to spend all of our money. Anyway, tell me your ideas and I'll try to steer you in the right direction."

"Edward will get me all wrapped in a red bow, but I need to get him something that can be opened in front of actual _people_."

When presented with the question, my ideas sounded lame once I had to announce what I was looking for.

"Well since he works in business, I was thinking maybe something for his office?" But, I know… it sounds boring, I just was kind of hoping I'd see something unique and say, that's it," I said. "And we just started dating and so I want something that is simple but at the same time, isn't. Does that make sense?"

"No."

She looked at me with what could only be described as her "what the hell?" stare. And no, she wasn't joking.

After three more hours and about five stores later, I was at the end of my rope. I was beginning to think that Edward was gonna get a handmade sex coupon book with things like: "redeem for one blowjob" and "one costumed fantasy w/ choice of sex toy!" We headed back to a long walk to her car. Along the way, I saw a young man set-up with a small table. He was working furiously on paper using an easel and paints. As we passed by, I took a quick look at his art and it was all very stunning. One thing in particular caught my eye. It was a picture of a gondola sitting in water with a beautiful bridge and buildings behind it.

"Oh my gosh, Alice. These paintings are beautiful. I think I have an idea for Edward's gift."

Luckily the man knew English and we had a bit of a chat. I would come back the following day and pick it up a customized gift. It would be absolutely perfect and it turned out to be affordable. Double win.

I just had one more thing to do. Tell Edward that I opened his note. He had to know that I'm still highly suspicious of men. I had to tell him that I was probably untrustworthy. I had to make up my mind: was this going to be B.E.B. (before Edward's birthday) or A.E.B. (after Edward's birthday). It seemed like I was going to have a dilemma myself.

_*~*~*~GRAY~*~*~*_

**Edward**

The meeting was a big success. My time-off actually made my vision for the company clearer than ever. The company was growing, and we were having one of our best financial years ever. As I sat down back at my desk, to analyze some more information, I went back to checking my messages.

The first voicemail was from my colleague. They had found some new office space and wanted to see about getting it approved. I called Emmett to see if he could deal with it. It was going to require another out of town trip and I wasn't up for more traveling.

The second voicemail was from Tanya.

_Hey Edward, sorry I'm calling your office phone, but I wanted to make sure you didn't ignore my voicemail. I wanted to make sure you got my text about Emma's surprise? I'll call you later on your cellphone too, just in case you don't get this message. Anyway, just want to let you know that your mom and dad are flying in. Oh and um, that's not Emma's surprise. I just spoke with Esme and I offered to tell you. They have some business to attend to and then they'll spend a few weeks of vacation time there. Esme said they'd arrive on Monday at around 6 p.m. Once you speak with her or Carlisle they can let you know for sure. Since Emma won't be able to give you her birthday gift herself, Esme has offered to bring it for her. She worked very hard on it. You are going to absolutely love it! Okay, well anyway. We'll talk to you later then._

I put down the phone slowly. No. No. No. No. I loved my parents but they were all about snooty extravagant parties and inviting people that I don't even know. They had parties just to have parties and since my birthday happened to be happening the weekend of their arriving, I probably wasn't going to escape with my little quiet birthday dinner. I was looking forward to a small gathering of people where it would break off pretty early and then I'd hoped to have flown under the radar to sneak Bella away back to the houseboat for some of our own celebrating.

_*~*~*~GRAY~*~*~*_

* * *

_**A/N **I fully anticipate to have lost half my readers due to the lateness of this chapter. I'm truly sorry. I haven't deserted this story. Now that my work hours have changed, I should go back to a regular posting schedule again. I really love my readers and it would rock if you let me know you're still out there by reviewing. Time got away from me during Nov/December and when I was finally ready to post, something else happened. Some of my twatters know why I've been MIA. Life is fragile. Let the people that you love, know that you love them._

* * *

_**** Note from Irina, Translates roughly to: I miss you very much, Edward. It's amazing that we found each other again after so much time has passed. Let's start where we left off and we will be happy together. I look forward to hearing from you: 06 21 70 30 58.**_

_** Irina ****_

THANK YOU to all my twatters whose thoughts and prayers during my time away, really meant so much to me. Thanks for your support.

Thanks as always to LovelyBrutal and piperann for editing. I own my own mistakes.

You can now follow my public profile fanfiction twitter account: Lo21_FF

With love from Texas ya'll,

xoxo

Lo_  
_


	12. Peach Colored Heart Part I

**Chapter 12: Peach Colored Heart Part I**

* * *

_*~*~*~PEACH~*~*~*_

Peach is the color that moves into the thoughts,fears and self-preservation energies, and is fueled by survival. It is excellent when entering new situations or enduring long term discomfort. Peach is charming and disarming in order to get around others anger and to get the needs met. It is warmth and generosity and acceptance of others with grace and wide-eyed elegance or at least the pretense of it. Peach also promotes a feeling of calm and comfort.

_*~*~*~PEACH~*~*~*_

**Bella**

**WEEK THREE- Monday  
**

Four days had passed since I'd "read" the note. _Stupid perfect loops of writing._ Four days of trying to remember what words from the note sounded like English words. _Stupid Italian language. _Four days of cursing myself for taking Spanish in college and not Italian... because who would ever need Italian in the United States? Right? _Oh, that's right._ _Stupid, idiotic, me._

It had been _three _days since I'd picked up the 11" x 14" painting for Edward's birthday. I loved it; it was also within my budget since it was painted by a student painter and not an established artist. Two figures—a man and woman staring from the bridge looking out onto the water below. A beautiful pink sky; a soft pearl-covered moon. It was titled, "Una notte indimenticabile." It had definitely been a memorable night for me—for us. I bought a simple black frame and taped a bright pink neon index card with a message written in my best cursive writing to the back of the painting and closed it with the frame's wooden back. I didn't plan to tell Edward that there was a hidden message there. The words I'd written were so ridiculously simple. It made me happy to know that they were there, even if he never opened it up and saw it for himself. I couldn't let myself wrap the painting just yet, I myself loved it so much. It reminded me of our first night together in Italy. _That crazy, crazy night! _But before the craziness, it was just a first date in a beautiful city. An incredibly memorable one.

Most importantly, it had been four days since the note was devouring my every thought. And why not? I'd always been the queen of waiting for bad stuff to happen, and it usually did happen. Especially with men. What was life if it didn't slap you in the face every time you felt happiness though? I always wanted to catch the bad before it happened. I could say_, Aha! I saw you coming this time and this time I'm prepared!_ A tricked heart is a broken heart; it's an unhealed wound that no one can see.

When I was alone with my thoughts, the past few days, I'd come to a few conclusions: that it wasn't a note—but a declaration of love, a thank you for the best sex this person (whom I knew was some supermodel-height Italian goddess), had ever had, and finally that it was a long-term relationship that he'd not told me about, a first love perhaps; someone he couldn't let go of. Why else would he have kept it? I waited for Edward to say something to me that night. For something to shift where I could feel him pull away from our budding relationship. I expected to see all the classic signs; a memory of a past or first love that was so perfect and blinding that that all he wanted was to go back there and experience that feeling. I assumed Edward would start to call me less often and make excuses about us getting together. But it turned out that I was the one that was the most distracted. I was the one who faked a headache when he called me after work last Thursday so I could mope. The shopping and Alice had distracted me at first, but it begin to drill a hole in my mind and would not let up. And over the weekend, when we'd had late night dinner dates, I couldn't really concentrate or enjoy myself. Our conversations became a bit choppy; we shared lots of moments of silence. And we hadn't had sex. Now, I realized that I'd gone without sex for a long time before. A few days of no sex wasn't a drought in any stretch of the imagination or anything, but I felt that I needed him, which was a bit frightening because we hadn't known each other that long. And I couldn't need him if there was something that was unresolved on my mind and hanging above my head like a black cloud in a cartoon comic strip. Anytime there was a pause in the conversation between us, I'd wait for the talk to turn dark. I waited for him to make a big reveal or for there to be a casual mention of this mysterious, exotic sounding Irina. It never came.

On Monday morning, I was disgusted with myself. I was an annoying, snooping, self-doubting, suspicious, total whiny bitch. I never saw myself that way before and it was incredibly scary, that I was able to recognize it in myself. Make that all of the previously stated plus an extra side of lying and extreme horny-ness. Alice could tell too, and although I never made mention of my suspicions, I knew I couldn't waste my time dwelling on it anymore. I was not only hiding my feelings and suspicions from Edward, but from Alice, the best friend anyone could ever have. I was wasting time feeling insecure and pushing Edward away just when things were feeling so easy between us. That was the old me creeping back and I wanted her forever gone.

Monday night I resolved to do something about it. Of course, as in a lot of situations I feel uncomfortable in, I needed some liquid courage to help me. So, I did the most rational thing I could think of. I got the okay to drink Alice and Jasper's assortment of liquors when they went out for some alone time and let my mind be free for awhile. If you can't find your own courage, what's wrong with the liquid kind? It was at this moment when I started thinking I couldn't really confront my own emotions without drinking.

_*~*~*~PEACH~*~*~*_

**Edward **

**Monday (night) **

Mom and Dad were going to be delayed. They said that they didn't even know if they'd make it in time for my birthday and I told them that it was fine; in fact, it was more than fine. Apparently there was a problem with a client back in the home office and they needed to sort things out before coming to Italy. In actuality, I was thrilled about the possibility of them not being here in time for my birthday. I was a grown man and hadn't celebrated a birthday with them in years.

Also, I'd noticed a difference in Bella and wanted to resolve it before there was an opportunity to introduce her to them. She seemed quieter, more reserved all of a sudden and I could pinpoint it to the day Rosalie took Bella home. She was tight-lipped about her car ride with Rosalie and said she wasn't feeling well when I tried to make plans with her that night. Of course, I accused Rosalie and she snapped back telling me that everything wasn't always her fault. Still, I maintained it was a good guess. Bella said they talked about girl stuff—whatever that meant. And later, when Bella and I'd kissed, it felt like her mind was somewhere else. I asked her if something was the matter and she said there wasn't. I couldn't figure out if it was one of those girl things... they always said one thing but meant the complete opposite. I could only prompt her so much before starting to think that maybe it was something I said or did.

Meanwhile, Emmett had been watching Rosalie like a hawk, looking for another pregnancy sign to add to the list he'd drawn up in his mind. Still, he hadn't asked her point blank but he'd drawn a new deadline. Tomorrow, he'd said. "If she doesn't tell me today, I'll ask her tomorrow." And that day had been yesterday, with no confirmation. Emmett was planning a dinner date with Rosalie tonight and he'd planned to broach the subject. He was looking forward to it and he could not hide how he was feeling all day: hyper, extra-friendly, and lots of jokes.

I'd called Bella during my lunch break and found out that Alice and Jasper were going to some dinner/concert thing later that evening, so after work we were going to have the apartment to ourselves. I was really looking forward to it, since we'd only really had a few hours the last few days when I wasn't working and the days seemed to be flying by faster than ever.

I knocked on the door and it took Bella all of three seconds to answer. She greeted me at the door with an embrace, throwing her arms around my neck.

"Babe," she slurred. "I'm so happy you're here."

She wore a long thin peach tank top that nearly covered her really tiny frayed jean shorts. Her top was so sheer that I could see her bright pink bra underneath.

"Hey Pinky."

"Edward, let's do_ it_. I really, really want you right now."

I laughed, scratching the back of my hair, hearing her say things like that was always so shocking—but it was such a turn-on.

"I'm beginning to think you only want me for my body."

She smiled. "Of course not! But if that were the case, is that such a bad thing?"

"How much have you had to drink tonight?" I was only half-joking.

She pouted and it was the cutest thing; she really looked upset. I leaned down to reach her lips, enjoying her lips and tongue as we kissed. She brought her hands to the sides of my face and I felt that same excitement and passion back from her, a renewed energy, like it was the first night we'd kissed. She got aggressive as she sped up the pace, a mixture of mostly tongue and some sucking of my lips. Her breathing seemed a bit labored as I tried to keep up the pace. Her hands wildly grasped my hair and she pushed herself close to my body so we were chest to chest. She was very warm though the apartment itself was very cool. She pressed her lower body into me and began rubbing herself against my dick. It didn't take me long to be ready, especially when she unbuckled my belt, lowered the zipper and put a hand inside my boxers, causing pleasure to shoot up my spine as her soft hands rubbed over and up the length to the base. Since my jeans were still on, she couldn't get a complete handle around it, though she certainly tried, but it was enough to make me increasingly hard. She pushed my jeans down halfway with one hand and I used my hand to push them down to the floor. We hadn't had sex in a few days and I'd already missed her so much. I grabbed her ass and she moaned, losing her grip on my dick. I lifted her up so I was carrying her and so I wouldn't be hunched over. Her legs circled my waist and were just low enough so that if we were undressed we could have had a repeat of what we'd done against the wall at the house boat. I was at the perfect angle to feel her ass as her shorts were so tiny that as I lifted her up, my hands easily slid under them. I was surprised to only feel skin there and not feel the lace or cotton or silk of her underwear underneath.

"Pinky? Are you not wearing—"

"No," she panted. "I told _you_. I want you. Now."

She looked at me with a gaze that could pierce through my eyes. The want was evident, and certainly mutual. I held back a moan as my body was completely ready.

We somehow wobbled our way to the couch—it was the closest thing—and I'd only literally made it a few steps inside of the apartment.

I sat down on the couch with her on my lap and her legs curled around me and broke our kisses long enough to pull off her thin tank top. I admired the new pink bra that I hadn't seen before for two seconds. It was simple, bright pink with only a tiny red bow in the middle; such a sexy, simple thing. I kissed her over each perfect mound, squeezing her over the fabric before being too impatient to tease her as she leaned her head back. I unhooked it while she pulled the straps down and it fell in a lump across the couch.

No sooner had the bra fallen, than my mouth was reacquainting itself with the familiar taste of her nipples gliding against my tongue and hands moving along her curves. Her scent was intoxicating. Her strawberry scented shampoo that had become my favorite smell, a light lilac perfume mixed in across her neck and wrists drifted around us as we moved. She shifted her body so that she was feeling the hardness in my boxers and we were both humming at the sensations it was causing. I hoped that the passion that I was feeling was the same for her.

"Wait!" she said, all of a sudden. I stopped, almost startled while looking up in a sort of lusty haze, wondering what might have caused the distraction. Her eyes were brown honey and surprised, I could tell even though half of her face was covered in her hair.

She jumped up and I watched her bare back as she ran to the door and locked it.

"I learn my lessons," she said. "Come on, let's go to the bedroom."

We shed the rest of our clothes like they were on fire. I couldn't even say whether I undressed her the rest of the way, or if it was me, and did I undress myself or did she?

She pushed me down onto the bed, and kissed me hard while tugging at sides of my hair and then pulled away suddenly, turned the opposite way, draping herself over my body and began the fun in the 69 position, something we hadn't done yet. As she found a comfortable position, I shifted myself so I could in turn please her. She licked and stroked my cock as I licked and sucked at her bare pussy, feeling her from the inside with my tongue and fingers and tasting as she became more and more excited and aroused. We both moaned and quivered with pleasure. And the foreplay was what set the pace. She didn't want it to be slow and nice and neat, therefore, neither did I. Our movements became frenzied, and we were rough. Hands gripping, hair pulling and back scratching. We made time for kissing, but it was really about new sensations, new deeper positions, lots of shifting of legs and switching positions.

Face down. Ass up. I pounded into her from behind.

"Yes! Yes! Yesss!"

I groaned. I enjoyed the new visual from behind, the sight of her perfect behind as I kept her steady. Her hands gripped at her sheets as she moaned her approval and I matched with my own grunts.

I drilled inside, gripping her bouncing breasts in my palms, steadying her waist, squeezing her ass, helping push her back and forth to meet each hard stroke.

"Edward! Edward! Edward!" she cried out. "Harder! Harder! Please don't stop!"

And even as I really kept with her pace, feeling the sweat drip from my hair, it didn't seem to be enough. She was so little and I had a moment of fear that she'd be sore the next day; still it didn't stop her.

"Harder please, harder!"

She turned around, pushing me hard onto my back; she stroked my dick a few times before sliding down onto it slowly. She dug her hands into my shoulder, and leaned down to bite the corner of my bottom lip. She rocked back, slow at first, tossing her hair seductively. But then she began a furious speed and I held onto her hips and she began bouncing up and down and I tried to help her get deeper. And we shifted again, this time, I pulled her to the edge of the bed as I stood over her, pinning her torso to the bed. I pulled her legs over my shoulders and she rested both calves there and we began an almost synchronized thrust and push together. I knew that I had the potential to hurt her in this position because we were going very deep, but we found a rhythm that worked and didn't stop until we were both cumming with a completely satisfactory wave of intense spasms and exhilaration.

"That was so fucking great."

We rested a bit and then Bella initiated again and we were on for another round, this time, mostly in the missionary position. Still, we both came again. It was like we were making up for not having sex in a few days.

Later, we were cleaned up and just lying together on the bed, chatting about fast the summer had gone, and how I wasn't really into celebrating my birthday with family. I mentioned the houseboat and her eyes lit up and she smiled so big, that I'd regretted not taking her there again. As the time began to get away from us, I regretted not packing my work clothes so I could stay the night. I knew we'd learned our lesson, but if I had planned better, I could have spent the night and just gone to work from her apartment. Just as I was sitting up, getting ready to leave, Bella pulled my hand and laced our fingers together.

_*~*~*~PEACH~*~*~*_

**Bella **

_Please don't leave. Please forgive me._

"I need to ask you something."

My thumb palmed his hand in small circles.

There was no easy way to begin, so those words ended up being the intro to the words that came out of my mouth next.

"Okay."

"Who's..." I pronounced the name to the best of my ability, "I-REE-NA?"

His forehead creased and his eyes scrunched up while his mouth hung open. Edward took a breath like he was going to say something, but nothing came out. He sucked in a breath and let out a deep sigh. His eyes looked away. My heart felt like it was in my ears. I was nervous and completely panicked. I was going to be the one to ruin our relationship. I let go of his hand. This was bad. Really bad if he had no words.

And, of course the silence had to be filled because I'd always been uncomfortable with silence. My mind shouted for me to be quiet, but I couldn't hold back. I could blame it on the alcohol, but I felt sobered after the intense sex session we'd just had. A wave of word-vomit came out. Everything that I'd been worrying about, every insecurity I'd had was out in less than a minute. His eyes return to mine, "What did Rosalie-"

It stopped me for a moment. Rosalie? Rosalie had never told me anything about Irina. Or did she? I couldn't wait for the rest of his question. I had to confess.

"I found a note from her. I… uh… read a note that was addressed to you. I didn't mean to! It fell out of your pocket when I was picking up your room. And you know…I've been burned before and I want to trust you. And I know that was a really rotten thing to do. I feel like shit, I really do. But I really have to know. I just can't stand it. I can't stand that you'd keep something like this from me. Please forgive me. Please say something."

"You read the note," he said carefully. I couldn't tell if he was about to explode or if he was in shock. So, I started to tear up and then my vision was blurred as tears started streaming from my eyes. From super loved up to super let down. Why was I always a roller coaster of emotions? Was I that crazy? I was the ultimate downer and absolute buzz kill. And I was so embarrassed by the emotions. I covered my face with my hands and after a moment felt him try to tug them off. It wasn't very difficult; my hands were weak and easily moved.

"Hey," he said softly. The bed shifted and then I felt him place a soft kiss on my forehead. "No, baby. There's nothing to be concerned about. I'm such an idiot. I used to uh…have a kind of thing with her a summer ago, but it wasn't like you and me… I promise. I thought Rosalie had told you about her or something and I was about to get really pissed. But, it wasn't because I have something to hide. I meant to throw the stupid thing away—it was something I just shoved in my pocket and completely forgot about. I didn't even get a chance to read it. When I went on that business trip to Amsterdam, she ended up on the same flight back, she gave me the note after the flight and nothing happened, I barely talked to her. We didn't even sit next to each other. Trust me. She's no competition, you win by miles."

It was weird how the conversation had shifted. How I had been begging for forgiveness, for being a snoop, for having to confess that knowing about it was slowly driving me both crazy and away from him.

"If you want to know the details of what we had, I can explain it to you. She really wasn't an important part of my life though, not like you are, Bella. Is this why you've been quiet lately?"

He grabbed my hands and stroked them as what he was saying soaked in and I sniffled and thought how much of a cry baby I was.

"I'm such a baby! I'm sorry I'm so fucking sensitive."

He shook his head.

"I never even thought to bring her up at all because we had just met and she really meant nothing at all to me. She was never my girlfriend or anything remotely close."

"I just feel terrible for keeping this from you," I said shaking my head. I'm sorry for pushing you away these past few days. I just didn't know what to do. I know it's a lame excuse to blame my previous relationship, and it's cliché, but it really is true. What's the point in previous relationships if you don't learn lessons from them? And, I really felt that my heart was led by lies and my mind won't let me forget that."

Edward squeezed my hand. "I should have told you, but I really didn't think it was a big deal at all." He stopped for a moment. "I'm actually curious though…how did you even read it? Do you actually know how to read Italian?"

I sniffled. "Um, no… but it was obvious that it was a love letter."

He shook his head.

"I didn't read it, because I was pretty sure it just had her number on it or something. I mean, she was interested in me, and I think she was hoping that we could pick up from the last time we'd been together, but if I were to be interested, I'd have kept in touch with her a long time ago. I didn't because she wasn't that interesting, we didn't share much. In fact, I almost didn't even recognize her on the plane."

I felt better hearing this from him. I pulled him back down onto the bed. He kissed me on my forehead and then pulled his arms around me. He hugged me so tight it was almost uncomfortable.

"Bella, please just don't think you have to hide anything. You can trust me."

And so I finally told him the story about me and James. How I thought everything had been fine in our relationship only to find out that his feelings had drastically changed, how I'd been cheated on and heart broken. And he told me about Tanya, how they'd met in high school, drifted apart and then rekindled when he got back, but that they were completely over. We both were over our past loves and all that mattered was what we did in the present.

When Alice and Jasper finally (rather nosily) came back home a few hours later, Edward was still lying in my bed. We weren't talking anymore, just soaking in the comfort of each other's presence, hearing each other's steady breathing, living in the moment, a beautiful life in a magnificent city. We smiled at each other as we heard Jasper and Alice laughing and making their way to their bedroom. It was nice to have that renewed feeling inside and all over; the shackles were broken from my self-imposed prison. It was just nice to be completely free of secrets and hidden feelings.

Except, I still hadn't told him about the secret I'd stumbled upon regarding Rosalie and Emmett. That was really the last thing I was holding back from him. Was it the same as Edward not telling me about Irina? It wasn't necessary in our relationship for me to ever find out about Irina, especially since I now knew that she was just a tiny part of his past. Of course, now Irina was on my radar, and I still felt a bit threatened by her, but I'd never tell him that. I believed Edward; I had to, because otherwise I wasn't improving my relationships, I was just hampering them and looking for cause for a break up. I already felt less weighed down by clearing the air about Irina, but I'd be totally free if I also shared with him my secret about Rosalie. And if there came a choice between keeping my word about Rosalie's pregnancy compared to potentially hurting Edward by keeping something important like this… I knew which choice I'd make. But as I lay there looking into Edwards beautiful eyes with my hand playing in his soft hair and his hand casually draped over my arm, I had a last minute thought. I would keep it peaceful for now, because it felt so damn good in the moment. I would give it some time to let Rosalie sort out her own mess, but I had to tell someone. I knew the perfect person. Alice. I would tell her soon.

I didn't want Edward to leave even though he had to work the next day; still we ended up falling asleep together, but we were startled awake with a call around four in the morning.

"Oh, shit, it's already four? Who's calling at this hour?" Edward mumbled, looking at the number displayed on his phone's caller ID. "Must be wrong number, I've never seen this one before."

He sent the call to voice mail.

"I didn't realize how late it was, Bella. I need to get going or I'm going to be late for work again."

He got up and stretched, giving me a kiss on my lips. An alert sounded on his phone to show that he had a voice mail.

"Well, let's see who this is."

_*~*~*~PEACH~*~*~*_

**Edward**

I called in to hear the voicemail that had been left, which I'd assumed was a wrong number. A woman with a heavily accented English accent came on over the line.

_This message is for Edward Cullen. I'm calling from Anthea Hospital, Please contact us immediately regarding Emmett and Rosalie Cullen. They've been involved in an accident. We have you listed as an emergency contact. _

My mouth went dry as she left the call back number.

Bella noticed the change in my demeanor immediately. She opened her mouth to ask, but before she could answer I blurted it out.

"There's been an accident, Bella."

My voice broke and my lip quivered as I felt a cold shiver run up my spine.

_Please, please let them be okay._

I pushed the redial button and practically held my breath while it rang.

_*~*~*~PEACH~*~*~*_

* * *

**A/N** It was not my intention to test anyone's ability to stick around with my story. Sorry for the delay and I PROMISE a faster update next chapter. There are only a few chapters left! I appreciate every one of my readers. Hope to see you next chapter. By the way, the Italian translation last chapter was screwed up and so I gave the translation to everyone who reviewed, but if I missed you, go back to the A/N last chapter for the translation. **It would be awesome if you left me a review. **

**Special Thanks:  
**

Thanks as always to LovelyBrutal and piperann for editing. Please forgive any mistakes I may have made. I own my own mistakes.

Thanks to the readers that have somehow stuck by this story. You mean so much to me!

Fun fact: I like the number FOUR, and I tended to use that number a bit in this chapter. (That's a Divergent reference, by the way. *giggles*)

xoxo

-~*Lo*~

By the way, I'm sorry I had to cancel my FF twitter account. It's one thing to have an opinion and another to be disgusted by the things that were being said. I write fanfiction because I love the characters, I love my hearing what my "own" characters have to say in a completely different setting. I don't do it for reviews (though I do beg for them don't I?), I do it because of the inspiration of Twilight. I feel like the people who used to be in it for the same reasons have different reasons now, and I don't agree with it. So I hope you feel, in my writing that I still have that "thing" that made you want to read fanfiction in the first place, though I know I'm not the BEST fanfiction writer in all of the fandom-I don't claim to be and I'm quite okay with that. And this doesn't apply to everyone in the fanfiction fandom, it's just a trend that I've seen sort of spiral out of control. Annnnd End rant. Sorry if I've offended anyone, that was not the purpose.


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